Hideyoshi, New Student, and Friendship!
by Wolf no naku koro ni
Summary: Rena has a horrific past filled with mental mistreatment. She attends the academy and finds comfort in Hideyoshi. She finds friends when she never thought she could. From a glitchy avatar to dying cats, strange things have been happening. Will the group ever find out Rena's horrible secrets? Also, Rena begins clawing at her neck again; She doesn't want to be sick any more.
1. Pageants, Kitties, and the New Student!

** I do not own Baka and Test: Summon the Beasts or any other anime referenced to in this fanfiction.**

Yukata Pageants, Kitties, and the New Student!

Rena looked at herself in the mirror for the last time. She was presently backstage at a Yukata pageant; she would be competing with several other girls and boys dressed like girls. Her Yukata was simple; it was a slim black and gold dress that fit nicely around her curvy, adolescent body. She wore artificial cat ears and a tail to give her the appeal of a cat—her favorite animal. To complete the look, she'd drawn cat whiskers on either of her cheeks.

A few feet away, she could hear the other contestants talking amongst themselves.

"I didn't do anything," Hideyoshi asked. "Why do I have to compete in the pageant?"

**Because that's the plot of this episode. Roll with it.**

"Is everyone ready?" Minami asked.

"Yeah, I guess," Akihisa mumbled, looking down at his dress. He would be presented first, then Kouta, then a girl named Rena Kaibara. "I wonder who that is."

"Aki, you're on," Minami said, pushing him in the direction of the stage. As Akihisa stumbled towards the stage, the other girls resumed talking about their yukatas.

"I think mine looks a little dumb," Himeji said.

"You look fine," Shouko assured her.

"Much better than I do," Minami looked at her chest self-consciously. "I wish I had your figure."

"You both look hot!" Aiko said.

Meanwhile, Kouta had just made himself look like an idiot on the stage. He was stalking backstage when a cute girl caught his eye. His head snapped in her direction, his nose bleeding slightly. The girl in the cat-like kimono glanced at him, but kept walking to the stage. Kouta turned around and continued walking.

"See a cute girl out there?" Yuuji asked Kouta, who was wiping his nose furiously.

"Yeah, it was the cat-girl," Kouta mumbled.

"Cat-girl?" Akihisa asked. "You mean the other contestant?"

Rena looked at the judges, but looked away. She blushed, making her artificial whiskers prominent against her pale skin.

"We have a creative one here today," MC said. "Tell me, sweetheart, what's your name?"

"I'm Rena Kaibara," she replied quietly. If it weren't for the microphone, no one would be able to hear her. She glanced up at the judges and gave a small, cat-like smile. "Nipah!"

"So that's the cat girl you were talking about?" Akihisa asked Kouta as they, Hideyoshi, and Yuuji watched Rena from backstage.

"Yeah, that's her," Kouta said, putting another tissue up to his face.

"Stop looking at her!" Yuuji barked. "You'll blow our cover, bleeding like that."

"She's a shy one, what do you say, Mr. Obata?"

"Shyness probably means she's cute and innocent. I'll give her a high score," Obata replied.

"So, Miss Rena, do you have any talents?"

"Um… no," she whispered.

"Well, that was unnecessarily modest," Yoshi noted. "Doesn't she want to win?"

"Well, that's okay. Are you here with friends?"

"I don't have any friends."

The crowd was silent before they erupted in cheers. "I'll be your friend! I'll be your friend!"

"Give me your address, let me call you, and let me dress you in a different kimono every day and I'll be your friend forever!" Obata shouted.

The crowd gave a wild applaud to back up his perverse demands. The cat ears on Rena's head plushed backwards.

"Please stop it," she whispered. "You don't have to cheer for me."

"She's so cute and shy," Yoshi cooed.

"Shut up, you idiot," Yuuji said.

"She's so cute!" Obata cried. "I will vanquish any demonic forces of Hell to have this maiden for myself!"

"Pervert," they all thought.

"I guess that would be convenient, since I'm afraid of monsters," Rena murmured. She gasped and looked up, forgetting that they could all hear her. She relaxed, relieved to realize that no one heard her over the raging crowds. She smiled and walked backstage once again, ignoring the group of idiots by the curtain.

"So who do you think would have won if the whole pageant wasn't exploded?" Aiko asked her friends over their dinner of grilled shrimp kabobs.

"I don't know," Yuuji replied. "Of all of us, I think Hideyoshi was the most appropriate."

"I still don't know why I had to compete," Hideyoshi said. "And you know the most appropriate was that girl!"

"What do you think, Akira?" Aiko asked the woman sitting across the table from her.

"From what I saw of the pageant, I think Hideyoshi is right," Akira replied. "She was cute and actually very honest with herself."

Baka and Test

Rena fidgeted slightly as she made her way to class 2-F. She was the new girl—always the new girl. When she entered the classroom, the others were already there. They all looked up, slightly mystified by the beautiful girl's unexpected approach. They looked at her from head to toe for a few seconds.

"Where can I get boobs like that?" Minami thought.

"How can she be so thin?" Himeji screamed in her mind.

"So… cute…" Kouta squealed as he fell backwards in a splash of blood.

"You're the new student, I take it," Yuuji greeted her. "I'm Yuuji Sakamoto, Class F rep."

"Um... Minami Shimada," Minami said, trying to move her eyes away from the new girl's chest.

"I'm Mizuki Himeji; it's nice to meet you."

"I'm Hideyoshi Kinoshita," Hideyoshi waved in a friendly way as he said this.

"Yeah, Kouta Tsuchiya, what's up?" Kouta said, ignoring the blood trickling down his lip.

"I didn't know we had a new student," Yoshi said excitedly. "It's nice to meet you! I'm Akihisa Yoshi. Welcome to Class F!"

"It's kind of the bottom of the barrel here, but you'll get used to it," Hideyoshi added.

"Everyone, settle down," the teacher barked sharply. Rena took her seat by a cardboard box next to Hideyoshi.

"Shier than I thought," Yoshi thought, sighing. He perked when he saw the girl pull a notebook out of her bag. It had an image of the Eifel Tower on the cover. "Oh, I get it now," he thought.

** In truth, Yoshi didn't get it; he thought that Rena Kaibara was a transfer student from France. He planned to confront her later and ask her if she wanted to be friends in a language that she didn't understand. I know stupid, right?**

For lunch, Yoshi had a one-sixty-fourth of a package of ramen noodles.

"Seriously, dude?" Yuuji asked. "I thought that ever since Akira moved back in that you could afford lunch or something."

"Well, um, she forgot to do the shopping last week so I have nothing to eat," Yoshi sobbed.

"Maybe I could share with him," Himeji and Minami thought at the same time.

Rena arose from her place and walked over to Yoshi's cardboard box. They all looked up at her curiously as she sat down and took the lid off of her lunch container. She used her chopsticks to scrape half of the rice and meat onto the lid; she then handed Yoshi the main container with a determined look on her face.

Yoshi didn't respond right away; it seemed a little strange that she would share so easily. The girl pushed the box toward him again, shaking it slightly. Yoshi took the pink Hello Kitty container with a smile.

"Hey, thanks," he said. "That's really nice of you."

She nodded silently and turned to her own share of food. She ate quietly, and when she was finished, she got to her feet and walked out of the room.

"She's strange," Kouta remarked.

"I think it's kind of cute," Himeji said. "The way she's always so kept to herself. If only I could reach out to her."

They were all going home at the end of the day. Rena was walking alone with her bag clutched to her chest when she heard Yoshi calling behind her.

"Hey, new girl, wait!" he said. She paused and turned on her heel, curious as to what this person wanted. He held out an empty pink container. "Here, I never got to return this to you."

Rena took the container and turned around.

"Wait, please, one more thing."

Rena sighed; this boy was relentless. She turned sharply again, staring into his stupid eyes.

"Tu ne voudrais pas devenir mon amie?" he asked.

"What?" Rena whispered.

"Am I saying it right? Tu ne voudrais pas devenir mon amie? Tu ne voudrais pas devenir mon amie?"

"Aki, what are you doing to scare her off now?" Minami asked, turning the corner with Himeji, Kouta, and Hideyoshi.

"I'm talking to her," Yoshi replied. "She's from France so I'm trying to make this new language a little easier for her. That's why she didn't talk before."

"You idiot!" Minami screeched, lunging at him. "She's not French!"

"But her notebook…!"

"I knew you were stupid, Akihisa," Hideyoshi said. "But I never thought you were this dumb. She's not French; we saw her at the Festival, remember?"

"What?"

"I got some pretty good pictures," Kouta said, holding some photographs out. On the silky faces of the paper were images of the feline kimono that Rena wore at the pageant.

"Oh, that's her?" Yoshi squeaked in pain as Minami bent his spine the wrong way forcefully.

Hideyoshi and Kouta looked up, but Rena wasn't in sight.

"It's kind of sad that she doesn't have any friends, huh?" Hideyoshi asked.

"Yeah," Kouta agreed, changing the film in his camera. "Maybe… just maybe, if she'd talk to us… then maybe she could hang out with us or something."

**Hi there! I've never written a B&T fanfiction before, but I will try my best to please you all. I'm not new to fanfiction; I wrote a series of Fruits Basket fanfictions labeled "Vector Wolf series." I also wrote a simple Higurashi no Naku Koro ni and Rise of the Guardians crossover. Anyway, leave a review and tell me what you think. Did I do anything wrong? Please continue reading if you like the story; I'll upload soon.**

** What to look for in the chapters ahead:**

** Will this shy other character get closer to the group? What's in this shy girl's past? I assure you, this may be my first fluffy romance story, but she's still insane in one portion of her mind. Keep reading and stay classy! Nipah! ~**


	2. Shyness, Training, and Defence Skills!

**3:45 A.M.**

"Be sure you take all the medicine that the doctor gave you, even if the symptoms go away," Rena's mom told her. Rena was kneeling in front of the table; on its wooden surface was an array of pill bottles scattered and stacked in front of the child. Rena remembered this night as a flashback.

"Don't talk to anyone else while I'm gone, do you understand?"

Rena merely nodded, staring emotionlessly at the bottles and boxes in front of her. She heard her mother's stiletto heels click across the tile foyer and out the door. The door slammed shut, followed by the muffled shuffle of the lock as it scraped into place. The mahogany-haired girl tensed, her pupils shrinking to pinpoints as she lashed out and swept the medicine to the floor violently.

**7:00 A.M.**

Rena opened her eyes as her alarm clock started to buzz across the room. She gracefully slid out from under the covers to turn the alarm off. Her cat, Lawliet, meowed by her legs. Rena smiled at her only housemate.

"Good morning," she greeted him softly. She busied herself with getting ready for school, thinking about the flashback she'd had the night before. It was a memory of before her parents left her—her mother was just about to break, and was telling Rena to take her medicine, as you already saw.

Rena thought about all of her cute classmates at Fujiyoka Academy; they'd been nice enough, and her mother wasn't really here to stop her. Since she wasn't sick anymore, she could approach other people and they wouldn't run away. With this thought in mind, she decided to give it a try. She took her bag in hand and opened the door.

"I'm off," she told Lawliet. She locked the door behind her.

Shyness, Training, and Defense Skills!

**7:45 A.M.**

What confidence Rena had gathered that morning had dissipated to her usual state of reticence and tendency to avoid attention. Nonetheless, she entered the classroom with determination. Minami was tearing at Yoshi's arms, for some contrived reason, whilst Kouta was taking pictures. Himeji was studying, and Yuuji wasn't in the room yet. Hideyoshi looked up at Rena as she entered.

"Hey," he said, walking towards her. He put one hand on top of her head, patting it gently. She looked at him curiously; literally, what was he doing? "Sorry about what Aki said yesterday; what he meant was 'Could you become my friend?'"

Rena's eyes widened with realization. What should she do? Accept, decline? Run away, change her name, and never hear from that idiot again? No, she thought as her eyes shrank again. I'm well now; I can do this.

"I'd like that," she said, nodding once. She smiled, tilting her head to the side. "Nipaa~!"

"Good," Hideyoshi said, smiling back at her. He guided her over to the others nonchalantly.

"You're Rena, right? Sorry about the mix up yesterday," Yoshi said. "I honestly thought you were French, hehe… oops."

"So you're new around here, huh?" Minami asked. "Where are you from?"

"The outskirts of Kyoto," she replied. "I lived here once before a few years ago."

"That's cool," Yoshi said. He studied her face intently; he could have sworn he'd seen her before.

"Why'd you move back?" Hideyoshi asked. "Just got homesick or something?"

Rena, being an introvert with very poor social skills, knew how to respond, but she didn't understand the purpose of conversational filters. She answered truthfully, no matter how personal the information was.

"I was medically treated in Kyoto; that's the only reason I left. I thought I might be able to start over here."

"Oh, I'm sorry," Hideyoshi apologized. "I didn't think it would be such a personal question."

"Don't be," she said, turning to him. "You're a very sweet boy; it's not your fault."

"Did you just… call me a boy?"

Rena frowned and blushed. Did she do something stupid? 'Now can I run away, change my name, and never see these people again?' she thought. No, that's not the plot of the episode. Stop being such a coward about everything.

"Finally!" Hideyoshi exclaimed, rising to his knees over his cardboard desk. "Somebody besides Akira realizes that I'm a guy. That's amazing!"

"Don't lie about that, Hideyoshi; you'll just confuse her," Yoshi said.

"I'm not lying," Hideyoshi retorted.

"I see you got the new girl to speak," Yuuji noted, walking into the classroom. "What did that take?"

"Not much," Hideyoshi admitted.

"I think she actually wanted to talk to us today," Yoshi said.

"So, Rena, now that you're talking," Yuuji continued. "Tell me what your scores are; I'll need to know them to plan for the next Summoner Test War."

"Oh, I uh…" Don't act like an idiot, Rena, just tell them. "They're pretty low; I wouldn't consider myself more than a trash card."

"What? Trash card; are you crazy?" Yuuji said. "Every little bit counts; it can add up to a large number, trust me. Do you think our scores are any higher than yours?"

"It's okay to be stupid here," Yoshi assured her.

"Don't encourage her like that, Yoshi," Minami sighed. She entangled her legs around Yoshi, pulling his head back. "Are you saying I'm stupid?!"

"No, no, I didn't mean it like that!" Yoshi whimpered.

Rena backed up a little, eyes wide as she watched Minami twist Yoshi's body in all the wrong directions. She wasn't afraid, but she was intrigued. She was a creature who would learn from example.

"Don't let Minami scare you," Hideyoshi said. "She usually only beats up on Aki."

"So, about your test scores," Yuuji said.

"I don't really know how well I would perform in a Summoner Test War; I took the placement test at my previous school."

Everyone turned to her, slightly surprised by the news.

"Why didn't you say so before?" Yuuji said. "We can just train with you here."

Baka and Test

"What are you idiots up to this time?" the teacher asked the Class F students as they filled the hallway.

"Sir, May we have your permission to engage i8n a practice Summoner Test War?" Yuuji asked.

"I approve," he said, creating the USB field.

"Alright, Rena, time to show us what you've got," Yuuji said, turning to the shy one. "You'll be going up against Akihisa first; he's the dumbest person we've got. And just because he's a probationary student doesn't mean you have to hold back on him; I want to see how strong you are."

Rena nodded and turned to Yoshi, who had already summoned his medieval avatar. Rena formed a heart with her hand.

"Summon," she whispered, cautiously throwing the heart to the floor. Her avatar apparated into existence; it had cat ears, tail, and whiskers. Her weapon was a hooked machete.* her score was a little higher than Akihisa's, but not by much. When the opposing avatar charged at her, her score began to excel in rapid succession.

"Wait, what the heck?" Yoshi wondered out loud.

Rena's cat-avatar swiftly dodged Yoshi's attack by going under him. she leapt up on the other side, tangling her legs around him similarly to how Minami had done earlier that day. With the mock enemy immobile, Rena ran her machete through Yoshi's skull.

"What…?!" Yoshi cried as his avatar was defeated.

"Those who died, meet me in the remedial classroom!" Iron Man said, running through the hallway to kidnap Yoshi.

"What in the world was that?" Minami questioned.

"Way to go, Rena," Yuuji said. "How did you change your scores like that?"

"I… um… I don't know," Rena replied, looking at her avatar, who was playing with a string on the carpet.

None of the other students knew it, but since Rena took the exam in a different school when she wasn't prepared, her scores aren't permanent from one test to the next. When her focus excels, so does her immediate score. However, since no one knows this yet, her avatar is labeled as having a "glitch."

"Akihisa Yoshi approached a girl while training!" a member of the Inquisition Group cried. "He has broken our treaty! He's a traitor; get him!"

After hours of training, the class dispersed and began to leave the campus. Akihisa was happy to find out that Akira had made a reasonably edible meal for him to eat when he got home. They both sat down at the table to eat when Akira decided to make some small talk.

"So, you have a new student at school?" she asked.

"Yes," Akihisa replied. "She's really nice; her name's Rena Kaibara."

"You haven't been too involved with her, have you?" Akira demanded. She digressed when she recognized the name. "Kaibara Rena, huh? Where have I heard that name before…?"

Yoshi watched her with a curiously blank expression. "What's that?"

"You mean Reina Kaibara?" Akira asked.

"Um… no…"

"She's the cat-girl, right?" Akira asked, excited. "Come on; don't tell me you don't remember her. Reina was the girl that lived down the street from us when you were six. She was always on the side; I hear her mother didn't like for her to be with other people much. Then she got sick and they moved to Kyoto. She drew cats on the sidewalk, right?"

Akihisa's eyes widened as he thought about it for a second; he did remember a little girl that resembled Rena. She would stay indoors most of the time, but when her mother allowed her to go outside, she would draw cats on the driveway with sidewalk chalk. Akihisa often asked her to play, but she wouldn't reply; she'd just run inside.

"I remember now," he said. "That girl did look a lot like Rena, but… her name is Rena, not Reina…."

"She could have had it changed when she transferred to Kyoto," Akira suggested.

"Yeah… I guess you're right."

"But still, that's amazing that she's come back. Is she still cute?"

"Why would I answer that after you told me not to have any relationships with girls?!"

"Come on, tell me," Akira laughed. "What was that thing she'd always say? Oh, yes—Nipah!" she chimed and laughed. "Does she still do that?"

"Life would be pointless without this manga," Yuuko said as she hugged her newest edition of gay manga to her chest. She looked up when she heard familiar footsteps enter the house.

"Hey, sis, I'm home," Hideyoshi called. "How was your day?"

"Good, yours?"

"I saw a cute girl at school, but that's about it," Hideyoshi replied.

"What was so cute about her?" Yuuko demanded, putting her fist against the wall. She was kind of ticked that Hideyoshi didn't think she was cute.

"She was just nice is all," Hideyoshi said defensively, putting his hands up.

"Is that a fact?" Yuuko scoffed, but ignored her brother. Hideyoshi went into the kitchen, thinking about Rena. She'd been so shy before, she still was, but he was making progress with her. he wanted to know her; it wasn't every day that he met someone who was calm and nice like that. Himeji was nice, but she got a little too paranoid, and Minami wasn't gentle at all. Let alone they already had a guy to like. Plus, everyone thought Hideyoshi was a girl, so no straight girl has ever liked him before.

**That's the end of this chapter. Hoorah! I hope you've all enjoyed the story so far. I'm sorry if the chapters feel too long or too short; I'm trying to pace each chapter like an episode of the anime. For those of you who are new to my stories, I upload every day; I'm homeschooled and I have too much time on my hands because I never get out. It's not that I don't have any friends, it's just I never get to see them. Anyway, Hideyoshi and Other fluff, yadda yadda… please tell me if I did anything wrong, tell me if you want me to continue, or if you have a request to a scene. For those of you who came to me as an author for the gore, I will try to make her as insane as I can. I find it ironic that I love the violent stuff, but I write violent fanfictions about non-violent media….**

** *I haven't done this in a while. Today's special Higurashi reference is… Rena's machete! I just love that cute, shiny, hook-billed cleaver. I've been asking the Santa with the Russian accent for one for years, but I never get it. Go figure.**


	3. Names, Cats, and New Feelings!

**7:25 A.M.**

"Kouta, will you do something for me?" Rena asked. She and Kouta had met up at his secret place.

"Sure, but how'd you find me?"

"I followed you," she admitted. "Anyway, I need a picture… of someone."

"I've got plenty of those," Kouta said, holding up a folder. "Who do you want and what do you want them to be doing?"

"I want a picture of… Hideyoshi." She mumbled the last part so quietly that Kouta couldn't hear her. He put one hand up to his ear.

"What was that?" he asked.

"Um… I want a picture of… Hideyoshi..."

"Come _again_?"

"… Hideyoshi..."

"Why are you so shy about this? It's not like anyone else will ever know about it."

"Are you sure?" she asked. "I… I want a picture… but I'll just draw it myself! I'm sorry for wasting your time!" she squeaked, running down the dark hallway.

**7:45 A.M.**

"Hey, Hideyoshi! Reina!" Akihisa called, waving at his friends. "Minami, hi!"

"What?" Minami asked, puzzled by the unfamiliar name.

"Yeah, her name's Rena, Akihisa," Hideyoshi informed. Akihisa came to a pause in front of them and smiled at Rena.

"Your old name is Reina, right?" he asked. "I almost didn't recognize you; I can't believe I forgot."

"Akihisa, what are you talking about?" Hideyoshi asked. Minami posed the same questioning vibe as she resisted the urge to break his bones.

"But I could never forget you after your cute little saying, huh? Nipah!"

Rena, who had become more afraid by the minute, took a step away from him. Her eyes were tilted at the edges as if she were about to cry. She stared at Akihisa as many childhood memories washed over her brain.

"W. . . Why?" she whispered. She turned on her heel, ready to run down the hallway.

"Rena, wait!" Hideyoshi cried, reaching out to her. He realized she hadn't moved from her place. He wanted to reach out; to touch her shoulder. "R-Rena."

Rena grit her teeth, trying not to scream as tears burned their way down her face. She put one arm against her eyes and walked down the hallway. Hideyoshi, Minami, and Akihisa merely watched her go, figuring she needed some time alone.

"You idiot!" Minami yelled, pinning Akihisa to the ground with her legs. "What kind of stupid thing was that?"

"It's not my fault! I knew her as a kid and I thought it would cheer her up if I called her by her old name!"

"Of course it wouldn't! People change their names for a reason, Aki!"

"I wonder where Kouta is right now?" Hideyoshi wondered out loud. "Usually he'd jump at the opportunity to get some pictures."

**12:30 P.M.**

Rena was less communicative. She held a blank expression in her eyes as she didn't talk to anyone. She stared at the front of the classroom, not touching her delicately prepared meal. She couldn't believe that someone actually remembered her from before she received treatment in Kyoto… before her parents left… before she got well.

"What's up with her?" Kouta asked, taking a picture of the beautifully gloomy girl.

"Akihisa said something to her before school," Himeji replied.

"Idiot," Yuuji hissed. "I hope this won't affect her performance in the Summoning. She's a vital piece."

"That's all that matters, isn't it?" Rena thought to herself. "I'm but a pawn in this world. It's better than being ignored, I admit."

**3:30 P.M.**

It had begun to rain by the time the students were leaving the campus. Rena held her umbrella over her hanging head as she walked away. Hideyoshi, Kouta, and Yuuji watched from the top of the concrete steps whilst Akihisa, Minami and Himeji watched from the school building.

"You really think she'll be okay?" Hideyoshi asked, gazing after her.

"It's no longer about the Test Wars; I'm actually worried about this," Yuuji admitted. "What was so bad about Akihisa calling her Reina?"

"I'd understand if it brought back memories," Hideyoshi said. "But it can't just shut her down like this."

"On the bright side," Kouta said. "The new picture line is coming out good; her continuous brooding stares are so deep, I wish I had a better camera." He glanced at his companions, frowning. "But you're right; there's something wrong with her."

Rena was brought out of her trance by a familiar, quiet meow. She looked up to see Lawliet across the street from her, his black and white tuxedo cat fur marred with rain water.

"Kitty, what are you doing outside?" she asked.

"This doesn't look good," Hideyoshi said.

Lawliet was about halfway across the street when he paused to look to the left.

"Come on, Lawls," Rena cooed. Lawliet turned back to her and took one step towards her. Suddenly, a large truck drove across the crosswalk, flattening the cat and dragging squished remains in a gruesome streak across the white paint.

The witnesses all gasped in shock. Minami and Himeji buried their faces in Akihisa's shoulders, sobbing. Kouta dropped his camera, staring at his newest models. Hideyoshi felt like he was going to be sick.

Rena dropped her umbrella, numbly letting the rain wash over her body. She felt nothing. Her eyes were wide as she let it sink into her veins… she stared at the bloody, torn remains of her only friend. The girl threw her head back, not even hearing the scream that echoed out of her throat. She stared up at the sky.

"Say something," she thought to herself. "I feel… nothing. I can't hear anymore. This is just like all those other times… when people leave me…. I want to feel again. Now!"

Hideyoshi was the first one down the steps. He put a hand on Rena's shoulder gently.

"Are you okay?" he asked. The girl turned to him, as if she didn't hear him speak. Hideyoshi patiently repeated himself. "Rena, are you okay?"

Her eyes softened dramatically. She could feel him and hear him clearly. She nodded, letting her face relax in the slightest smile. Hideyoshi sighed, relieved, and picked up Rena's umbrella, holding it over her. Rena was fully smiling at him now. So kind…. She was surprised when she felt Yuuji put his hand firmly on her shoulder.

"Come on," he said. "Let's get you home."

"What…?" Rena breathed.

"It doesn't feel safe sending you home alone after what just happened," Yuuji said. "We're coming with you."

"I'm in," Kouta said. "I've always wondered what your house is like."

"Th-thank you, that's very…"

"Well, it sounds like a good idea if we come, too," Akihisa said, dragging Minami with him. He thought maybe he could patch things up with her later; he felt terrible for making her upset beforehand.

So they all walked to Rena's two-story house together. Rena unlocked the door and let them all in.

"Make yourselves comfortable," she said softly. She stepped into the kitchen; the others looked about the house.

"It's a big house, too," Kouta said. "Does anyone live here with you?"

"No," Rena replied. Kouta glanced up at her with a negatively suspicious expression. "I… I live alone now." Kouta averted his eyes quickly, almost blushing. How could he have been so thoughtless?

"Is this… a Russian painting?" Minami asked, looking at a painting hanging in the den.

"Yes," Rena replied. "I visited Russia a few years ago. The painting was so cute that I had to take it home with me. Nipah!"

"That's cool; I used to live in Russia!" Minami told her.

"If you'd all not break anything important, I'll go prepare some food for you," Rena said.

"That would be great, thanks," Akihisa said. 'At least she's willing to still cook for me.'

"I'll help you," Yuuji offered.

"Alright, then," Rena chimed, tilting her head as she sashayed into the kitchen. The others all sat down around the table quietly.

"You should have seen her face when I approached her," Hideyoshi said, shaken. "It seemed normal at first, but then she… changed completely. It was like she didn't feel sad when she saw me."

"That's impossible," Minami said.

"He's right; look at these," Kouta said, putting some pictures out on the table.

It was a series of progressive drama shots emphasizing after the accident. The first one showed Rena screaming, wide-eyed, into the sky, tears streaming down her face. The next was a vision of an unstable side of Rena that no one had seen before; they were all startled by the scene. The next picture was after Hideyoshi talked to her; her features had softened considerably. She was even smiling….

In the kitchen, Yuuji was supervising some boiling water whilst Rena was chopping onions. Yuuji stirred the soup with a ladle once before glancing back at Rena.

"How's it coming?" he asked. He noticed how she carefully, but efficiently sliced the onions into even bits and pieces with swift movements of her wrists.

"Almost done," Rena announced happily.

"You're quite the cook," Yuuji stated. "Who taught you?"

"I taught myself," Rena said, her tone suddenly taking a darker tone. "I was alone most nights so I had to prepare my own dinner."

"Oh, sorry about that," Yuuji apologized.

"What for? It was a little tough at first, but now my meals are completely edible," she replied with a smile. Yuuji grinned back at her, chuckling slightly as he turned back to the stove. A sniffle behind him made him turn his head; Rena was crying.

"No, wait, don't cry!" he blurted out.

"Hey, how's the food coming?" Hideyoshi asked. What he really meant was 'Is she still okay?' He paused when he saw Rena; her eyes were filled with tears and her cheeks were unnaturally red. "R-Rena!"

Rena looked up at him with an innocent expression on her face. Hideyoshi hadn't realized he'd gotten so close to her.

"It's the onions," she stuttered, turning back to the cutting board and sniffling. Hideyoshi blinked, but broke out giggling. Rena looked back at him.

"You're so cute," Hideyoshi told her. He reached out and took the knife from her. "Here; I'll help out."

"Thanks, Hideyoshi!" she said, grinning from ear to ear as she moved on to other tasks such as dumping the other meats and vegetables into the soup.

In a few minutes, the meal was ready and Rena served it to her friends. The meal consisted of Chow Mein noodles in miso soup.

"This is really good," Kouta said, digging in immediately.

"Yeah, you three did a good job," Minami agreed.

"I'm glad you like it." Rena glanced at Akihisa, who stared uncomfortably at the food. "Yoshi, what's wrong?"

"It's just… you wouldn't try to poison me, would you? I mean, you're not mad at me, are you?"

"Mad at you? Of course not!" Rena chirped.

"Okay, it's just that this morning I think I upset you—"

"I'm not mad," Rena said. "See? Nipaa~!"

"Good," Akihisa felt relieved and he began to eat with the others.

**9:00 P.M.**

Rena flopped half-heartedly onto her bed. She had never had company over before. She was still a little excited from it; she didn't want to sleep. She rolled off of the bed and reached for a box underneath the wooden frame. She hadn't gone near that box since she moved back, but she thought this was a safe occasion.

Inside the black file box was a collection of medical records and such; on top was a composition journal with the word "Positive" written on the front. This journal was a therapeutic exercise when she was in Kyoto, but she wanted to write in it again today. She wrote the following entry:

"Today Hideyoshi and his friends came over to my house. Yuuji helped me cook for everyone and Yoshi apologized to me, even though I wasn't angry; that idiot. Hideyoshi was so kind to me; it's the only kindness I know from distant observation… I think I like this new feeling I've found through him."

She folded up the diary and stuffed the box back under her bed. She shimmied under the covers and turned out the light, easily falling asleep.

**What do you think? So many Higurashi and Katourou-san references… anyway. I hope you all enjoyed because I will be posting some more soon. About my updating schedule, I probably won't get to chain upload like I always do on the weekends (chain uploading is easily posting one chapter after another). I'm going out with friends. Yay, friends! But I'll try to type up three chapters on Friday (since I'm off) and post them to make up, okay?**

** Seriously, has anyone figured out the main storyline of Rena's past? If not, then you really love Baka and Test, don't you? Anyway, I'll leave it a mystery. Maybe if someone will review, then I will send them a Personal Message containing a summary of Rena's past (per their request). **

** Now, it is time to listen to Dear You~ Trust, Hope, Cry, Feel, Kind, Thanks, Your Welcome, and Believe. One last thing, I'm starting to produce music on my YouTube channel WolfAndSoda. If you all check my music out and I gain at least three subscribers, comments, or supportive reviews, I will make a remix-thingy of Dear You called Dear You~ Bleed. Thanks for your continuous support…. Nippaaaaa!**


	4. Rena, Twins, and Misunderstanding!

"So, why were you all dressed like girls at the Miss Summer Yukata Pageant?" Rena asked. The others jumped back, surprised.

"How'd you know we were dressed like chicks?" Akihisa asked.

Rena turned to Kouta. "Kouta's nose started to bleed when he saw me."

"I knew you'd blow our cover," Yuuji growled, grabbing a handful of Kouta's shirt.

"Yuuji Sakamoto, Akihisa Yoshi and Kouta Tsuchiya broke our contract by approaching a female in her own home!" a member of the Inquisition Group shouted, snapping a whip against Akihisa's desk. "They're all traitors! Capture the traitors!"

"Later!" Akihisa, Yuuji, and Kouta all called, bolting out of the room. The group of violet-cloaked students chased mercilessly after them.

"And Hideyoshi was complaining loudly," Rena continued as if nothing had happened. Minami, Mizuki, and Hideyoshi were the only ones left in the room to hear her. "That's how I know he's a guy."

"Well, at least you know," Hideyoshi sighed.

Rena, Twins, and Misunderstandings!

Rena was skipping her way down the hall towards class; it was so good to have friends. She felt happy like she never had before. It wasn't an overwhelming happy, but it wasn't a subtle happy that lasted a few hours. She had her eyes closed, and she didn't realize that she was about to collide with Hideyoshi's twin sister, Yuuko. After they crashed into each other, Rena picked herself up and looked at the other, who hadn't fallen down.

"Oh, Hideyoshi, I'm sorry," she said. She had kind of outgrown fervent apologies; it was a lighter apology. She gave a closer look at the twin. "Um… Hideyoshi, why are you wearing… a girl's uniform?"

"You really are stupid, aren't you?" Yuuko spat. "No wonder you're in Class F."

Rena was taken aback by this response. Since she was still new to the school, she didn't recognize a lot of people out of her Class F-related social circle. She didn't know Hideyoshi had a twin.

"I can see why you were put in the class with all the losers," Yuuko continued cruelly. "Honestly, even Shimada knows how to walk with her eyes open. Anyway, watch where you're going."

"What…?" Rena whispered. "I thought we were… friends…." the wonderful word was marred with pain and confusion.

"Oh, please," Yuuko said, snapping her head in Rena's direction. Her cold, teal eyes burned into Rena like a syringe of hot medication. "I would never want to be friends with you."

She brushed past the shocked teen. Rena felt numb again, but she soon recovered with the familiar feeling of pain. No, it wasn't familiar; this pain was deeper, worse than when she lost everything that she didn't really care about. She did something she'd never done like this; she began to cry.

Tears washed down her face bitterly as she trudged to her classroom. She found a seat at the back of the room and began to scratch at a loose edge of her skirt. She sniffled hysterically, jumping with every inhale. It wasn't long before the other students returned to the classroom.

"Oh, hey, Rena," Kouta said, walking into the room. He paused when he saw her crying cutely in the corner. It's not like he wanted to take inappropriate pictures of her; he just thought she was so adorable like a kitten. He fell backwards in an explosion of blood with a yelp.

"Hey, Kouta," Yuuji greeted, walking into the room with Akihisa and the girls. "What's wrong with you?"

Kouta pointed weakly towards Rena, making the others robotically turn their heads.

"Rena!" Himeji and Minami cried.

"Ah—don't cry!" Akihisa said, kneeling next to her. "What happened?"

"Did someone hurt you?" Himeji asked.

"Did you get a bad grade or something?" Minami pressed.

"Someone get a picture," Kouta whispered. "Please… I'll treasure it forever."

Shut up, Kouta; this is serious.

"It's Hideyoshi," she whimpered, wiping at her tears. "He… he said he never wants to be my friend…."

"What? Hideyoshi said that to you?" Akihisa demanded. Even Kouta was stunned, and he moved in to put his hand on Rena's shoulder.

"That jerk-face!" Yuuji cursed. Rena sniffled and he looked down at her. He knelt beside her and put a hand on her shoulder blade.

"Yuuji," Shouko said ominously.

"What are you doing here?" Yuuji whispered desperately.

"Usually, I would not allow you to comfort other girls," Shouko looked at the dejected cat-girl unfathomably. "But I will… just this once." With that, she got to her feet and disappeared into the shadows of the school.

"That was weird," Yuuji said.

"Hey, guys, sorry I'm late," Hideyoshi said, waving at his friends.

"Hey, you jerk wad," Yuuji snarled, getting to his feet.

"What?" Hideyoshi asked innocently.

"What's the big idea saying something like that to Rena?" Akihisa added.

"Yeah, what's your problem?" Himeji demanded.

"I honestly have no idea what you're talking about," Hideyoshi said defensively, taking a step away from his friends.

"You'd better spare the excuses or I'll break you in half!" Minami snarled. "Now apologize to Rena!"

"R-Rena," Hideyoshi stuttered.

"Huh?" Rena looked up, suspicious.

"What happened? Seriously, what did I do?"

Rena was beyond perplexed; she observed some major differences between this person and the person she'd encountered in the hallway. Their hair was parted differently… their form was slightly, slightly out of proportion.

"When I bumped into you, you… you… said you didn't want to be my friend."

"Yeah, you idiot," Yuuji barked. "Since when do you go around saying stuff like that to little girls?"

"Yuuko," Hideyoshi realized. "Guys, you know it wasn't me; I have a twin, remember? The rep from Class A?"

"Yeah, so?"

"Rena could have gotten her mixed up with me," Hideyoshi explained.

"Oh," they all chorused.

"Never doubted you, buddy," Kouta said.

"Of course you didn't," Hideyoshi thought bitterly.

"Sis, we need to talk about something," Hideyoshi called when he got home. Yuuko lowered her manga just enough to see her furious brother.

"What's up?" she asked half-heartedly.

"Why were you so mean to Rena?" he asked. "You know, the girl in the hallway?"

"She was such an idiot," Yuuko complained, as if she didn't hear him. "She actually thought I was you."

"That's put me in a very bad position, Yuuko," Hideyoshi said. "Why did you do it?"

"Since when do you care so much about that girl?"

Hideyoshi grit his teeth. However would he get out of this one?

"It's because she knows you're not a girl, right?"

Baka and Test

"Seriously, now that you've figured it out, don't you think that everyone should treat me like a guy, too?" Hideyoshi asked Rena as they made their way to Class F one morning.

"I think it's a good thing they don't," Rena said with a somewhat bothered tone.

"Why would you think that?" he questioned.

"If they did know…."

"We have more news on the girl Sakamoto, Yoshi, and Tsuchiya approached! We must capture them immediately and sentence them to death! Capture the traitors!"

"Wouldn't the Inquisition Group be after you for sure?"

Hideyoshi blinked once, but began to laugh. He put his hand on Rena's head in a friendly way. "You know, Rena, I really like you. How about after school we go out to the movies together?"

"I'd like that very much!" Rena squealed, nodding her head.

"So, what movie do you want to see?" Hideyoshi asked, looking at the posters in the lobby of the theater. Rena observed the posters quietly.

"Let's go see this one!" Minami squeaked as she held on to Akihisa's arm.

"O… Okay."

"Yeah, come on, Yoshi, it'll be fun!" Himeji added.

"Hey, Akihisa," Hideyoshi greeted.

"Oh, hey Hideyoshi, Rena," Akihisa greeted them. "You guys going to see a movie too?"

"Of course they are, you idiot," Minami said. "Why else would they be at a movie theater?"

"Oh, yeah, right," Akihisa mumbled. "So, what movie are you going to see?"

"That one," Rena said, pointing to the poster that Minami picked. "Would you mind if we went together?"

"That would be great!" he cheered.

"So, Yuuji, what movie would you like to see?"

"Not again," Yuuji whispered.

"Here with your girlfriend again, Yuuji?" Akihisa asked, glancing over at Yuuji, who was tied to Shouko.

"She's not my girlfriend!"

Shouko stabbed Yuuji's eyes as punishment.

"Don't be silly, of course he's here with me," she said softly. "Let's go see this one."

"No way! That one is three freaking hours! Io can't sit still that long," Yuuji argued. "Forget it; I'm not doing this again."

Shouko pulled a stun gun out of her pocket and stunned Yuuji so that he wouldn't escape.

"Two for the Living Dead, twice," Shouko said to the lady behind the counter.

"One student and a very hot zombie for Living Dead, twice for no reason," the lady said in a cheerful voice, nodding. She handed Shouko the tickets and the blue-haired girl skipped into the theater, dragging her fiancé along.

"Man, I kind of feel sorry for Yuuji," Akihisa said. "Anyway, let's go."

"I had a lot of fun today," Rena said as Hideyoshi walked home with her. "I never thought having friends could be this fun."

"I'm glad you had a good time," he replied with an easy grin. "I'll see you tomorrow, okay?"

"One more thing," Rena said, turning back to Hideyoshi.

"What is it?"

"Do you think Akihisa will forget his lunch again? I don't want him to starve, but he eats so much that I want to make a separate lunch for him."

Hideyoshi laughed. "I don't think he'll forget it."

"Good," Rena chirped, turning on her heel and prancing inside.

**That's the end of this chapter. I'm sorry if it's not any good; I'm in the transitional phase of my chain watching. I've been watching a lot of Umineko no Naku Koro ni, so I've been tempted to just make her insane here and now. But I decided to have a few Hideyoshi x Rena chapters first. It gets fluffy… trust me. Coming up is a Summoner Test War, swimming in the ocean, and Rena getting sick. Keep reading and stay classy and don't change for anyone ~Nipah~**


	5. Class, Test War, and Victory!

"Alright, Rena," Yuuji said. "The time to show off your skills is now." He raised his head to the other classmates. "We're going to challenge Class C today. I think everyone did well enough on their last exams, with the exception of Akihisa."

"Hey!"

"I have new strategies planned this time," Yuuji said. "With Rena's glitch, the first action should be easy. Our battlefield will stretch from Class F down the main hallway to Class C. I'm assuming they will try to overwhelm us with their numbers, which probably will happen, but we have Rena. Based on her training, I think she'll be able to go straight in there with a group and wipe out the main group. They will possibly have a surprise ambush waiting to attack if and after the main swarm is taken out. That's when the rest of Class F will engage, making a clear route for Himeji; she will then get to Class C and take out the rep."

Inside, Yuuji was almost laughing. He felt like he had the best cards in the hand; Himeji and Rena. With them, he doubted they would lose this War. Rena had her head down; her bangs were shading her eyes. Suddenly, she started laughing in a calmly creepy way.

Rena, Summoner Test War, and Victory

"So, Akihisa, go tell them we're declaring war," Yuuji commanded.

"What? Me again? No freaking way; I'm not getting beat to a pulp!"

"Somebody's got to do it," Yuuji said smoothly. "And you're the only one stupid enough to go."

"Excuse me, but I think you're having a little too much fun insulting me."

Yuuji put his hand on Akihisa's shoulder.

"Do you really think this is all this is? A game of insults? Come on, Akihisa, you're smarter than this."

"Oh, right," Akihisa mumbled, withering as he slinked out of the classroom.

"Alright," Yuuji turned to the class. "Minami, I want you to lead Rena and the others into battle first. Kouta will monitor the situation and tell Himeji when it's clear. Himeji, you know what to do after that. The remainder of students from the first half will be there to back you up. Does everyone know their place in this?"

"Yeah!"

"We will not lose this battle. This isn't about their fancy equipment, and it's not about their intelligence. It's about us and our skills. With the right strategy, we can crush them, right?!"

"Yeah!"

"They're ready now!" Akihisa cried, running into the room. Bruises and cuts decorated his skin as proof.

"Yuuji," Hideyoshi said. "What if Rena gets weak? If she takes a recovery test, would that mess up her score?"

"That's why we can't let that happen. Everyone needs to guard Rena; she's one of our best pieces. Minami, lead them out now."

"Right," Minami nodded. "Come on."

Minami, Rena, Hideyoshi, Akihisa, and all the others rushed out into the hallway. Class C students were scattered in large groups along the hallway.

"Looks like you finally showed up," Aiko said. "Where's my lover boy? Is he hiding somewhere taking pictures of me?"

"Stop being tacky, Aiko," Minami growled. "Let's end this—Summon!"

"What would I be without my vulgarity? Summon!"

Everyone summoned their avatars and began battling. Three boys surrounded Rena.

"Your scores are pathetic," one said.

"Please don't cry when we defeat you—I have such a soft spot for girls who cry," another said, launching an attack with his Avatar.

Rena grinned silently; her avatar dodged the attack and began to disappear and reappear in clouds of data bits. Her score accelerated at an alarming rate as she struck out with her machete. Her opponents gasped as they were defeated entirely.

"Um… Aiko, there's something wrong with—"

"Not now," Aiko said, lashing out at Minami. Minami dodged the attacks perfectly, thanks to training with Rena.

"Hi, honey," an ominous voice chimed behind her.

"Miharu!" Minami gasped, turning around.

"So sorry to do this to you, but if it's for the good of the War…." Miharu sent a powerful attack towards Minami. The violet-haired girl gasped, positive that this was the end for her, but Rena was quick enough to slip between the two enemy avatars, do an intricate flip, and injure them both.

"What? How'd you do that?" Miharu wondered, watching her score drop.

"Your score was so low!" Aiko agreed.

"You okay?" Rena asked Minami.

"Yeah, thanks," Minami replied. "I think I can handle it from here."

"Got it," Rena said, leaping in the other direction.

"So, Kouta, how's it going?" Yuuji asked the black-clad boy. Kouta gave him a thumb up.

"Rena's on a defensive strike; she's mostly keeping the others from getting killed. The Class C students are wary; I think they want to back down. The only ones left are the smart ones."

"Good; everything's going as planned."

Meanwhile, in the battle, a student from Class C ran back to his classroom.

"Rep, we have to forfeit," he said.

"What, why?"

"They have a new student, and she's wicked powerful! We're already down to a few students."

"And you want to quit for that?" the rep demanded. "Is it Himeji?"

"No, it's some girl named Rena or something."

"Well, if you can't handle them physically, you need to handle them mentally," the rep said. "Get Aiko out there to single Rena out. I think she can handle this."

Presently, Hideyoshi was battling Aiko. His scores were low, but Aiko wouldn't drop him. He just had to be patient; Rena would be there soon.

"Say goodbye, girl," Aiko murmured dangerously, building up all of her avatar's energy to deliver a final blow. Before the blow even hit Hideyoshi, Rena lunged in front of him, taking the blow instead. Aiko's weapon pierced Rena's stomach, making her bleed. Like her avatar, Rena began to bleed from an inexplicable wound on her stomach.

"Rena!" Hideyoshi cried in horror. "You're bleeding!"

Baka and Test

"Yuuji, bad news!" Kouta said, appearing out of nowhere. Yuuji didn't bother asking where he came from.

"What's up, dude?"

"Rena's hurt—she's like a probationary student or something."

"Do we need to get her out of there?"

"It looks pretty bad; Aiko stabbed her stomach."

"That does sound serious," Yuuji said. "How are the others holding up?"

"Alright; I think it might be safe to get Himeji down there because they're all distracted."

"Okay, Kouta, I need you to sneak Himeji into Class C to defeat the rep. When that's done, order Rena to fall back, do you understand me?"

Kouta nodded and turned to Himeji.

"Impressive, I've never seen a move like that," Aiko told Rena. "You seem to be pretty smart; whatever are you doing in a class of idiots? I bet they're the dumbest people you've ever met."

Rena gritted her teeth from the physical and emotional pain. Hideyoshi noticed this; ever since the incident with his sister, he knew she was sensitive about her only friends.

"Maybe you don't belong there, is that it?" Aiko continued to taunt her. She knew that if you couldn't defeat someone with physical strength, you could at least buy a little time by finding their weaknesses. "But you're by far too stupid to be in Class C. That's too bad; I liked your style. Except when you idiotically leapt in to save this idiot and get yourself hurt."

"You know, Aiko," Rena said, straightening. "You're right; they are, by far, the stupidest people I've met. They're too stupid to know when to quit, they don't know how to sympathize like a normal person, and they sure as heck don't know when someone's hiding something from them. But you know what… that's why I like them!" Rena took a step towards the surprised teen. "They never quit." Her avatar swung at Aiko's avatar. "They do what's best for a person when they're upset." Images of the day her cat got hit by a truck flashed in Rena's minds as her avatar launched another attack. "And they will probably never think about who I am or why—they're just glad I'm here. They have something smart people will never have, and that's something you'll never know."

Aiko was backed up against the wall now, her avatar weak with only a few points. With a final hit, Rena finished her off and the USB field digressed.

"Those who died, meet me in the remedial classroom!" Iron Man called, running through the hallway, proceeding to kidnap all who had died.

"Great work, everyone," Yuuji said, walking into the hallway. "All of you should take a recovery test to keep your scores up."

"That was incredible, Rena!" Akihisa said. "I didn't know someone like you could do that!"

"Rena, are you okay?" Hideyoshi asked. Rena didn't answer; she doubled over, spitting up blood. Hideyoshi caught her before she could pass out.

"Rena, what's wrong?!" Minami squeaked, running over to the two.

"We need to get her to the nurse's office," Yuuji said, taking the small girl in his arms to carry her. "I can't believe she would still fight in a condition like that. Hideyoshi, will you come with me?"

Hideyoshi nodded and followed him down the hall.

Rena awoke a few minutes later; she was lying down in a small, white room. It was cold and it smelt sterile. For a moment, she wondered if she was back in Kyoto, but she saw Yuuji and Hideyoshi. She started to sit up, and Yuuji put his hand on her shoulder to help her.

"Take it easy, Rena," he said calmly.

"I'm fine," she said. By her other side, Hideyoshi sighed with relief.

"Thank goodness," he said. "I thought you would need stitches for something like that, at least."

"I just lost too much blood; my wounds heal when the USB field closes," Rena said.

"That makes sense," Yuuji said. "How are your scores? Any different?"

"It's all good," Rena said, smiling. "Nipah~!"

"Good," Yuuji said. "You did well today; without you, I'm sure we would have lost. That's an interesting thought—a defensive unit. Since we don't have that many numbers, I never took it into account."

"Rena," Hideyoshi said. "Is all that you said back there… true?"

Rena thought about it for a second. "Yes, every word of it."

Hideyoshi smiled back at her and rubbed the top of her head. "Good; I don't want you thinking otherwise."

**I realize that I haven't been very interesting in my author's notes. I'd better start being interesting. MIKU MIKU MIKU MIKU MIKU MIKU… (and so the weirdness initiates) I hope you all like this chapter; lately, I've been slightly don't-know about what I wanted to do with this story. But it's all good. This will be fun.**

** Preview:**

** It's the Dark Wolf Advise Corner! If you want me to answer any question you have at the end of each chapter and before each preview, please leave a review or send me a Personal Message. Thank You.**

"So, how many people are going on this trip?"

What you are now witnessing is known as Akihisa Yoshi cornered.

"Um… I don't know… about ten? Including you, that is."

"Alright, if we rent a van, getting there shouldn't be a problem. Just tell me who is coming."

"A bunch of people I know you like! There's Yuuji, Kouta, and of course Hideyoshi…." Akihisa thought about it for a minute. 'I could probably get by with Shouko saying that she's Yuuji's fiancé and all… but what about Minami and Himeji? Oh, and Aiko…."

"Go ahead, I won't be mad. Just as long as they're not girls, otherwise I'll have to murder your entire family."


	6. Me, Everyone, and Swimming in the Ocean!

"So, what's the deal, Aki?" Akira asked. "How many people are going on this trip?"

What you are now witnessing can only be described as Akihisa Yoshi cornered.

"You want a number? I don't know, about ten including you."

"Alright, if we rent a van it shouldn't be a problem. So you invited eight other people? Who else is coming?"

"Um… A bunch of people I know you love! Yuuji… Hideyoshi, of course… Kouta said he wanted to go…"

"Great, who else?"

"Right, that's only three."

"This would be a lot easier if she wasn't so weird about me being with girls," Akihisa thought. "I could probably get away with Shouko passing her up as Yuuji's fiancé, but then there's Himeji… and what about Minami… and Aiko! I can't tell her about them!"

"She'll cut my face off!" Akihisa cried, panicked about the whole thing.

"Well, who else? You left off at Hideyoshi."

"Um… you see… it's a secret," Akihisa said, winking as he put his finger to his lips.

"No, it's not; you've already told me three of them."

"That's right; I was just joking!" Akihisa cried, throwing his face to the ground.

"It's never too late to tell the truth, Aki," Akira said. "Tell me and I'll give you a reward, right on your lips."

"The rest of them are aliens from outer space," Akihisa lied seriously, raising his head.

"Very good," Akira said, knelling next to him. "Close your eyes…"

"No! What the heck are you doing? I just lied to you; I'm not worthy!"

"Everyone's from outer space, if you think about it."

"Did I say outer space? I meant horses! I'm inviting a bunch of animals!"

"Such cruel rejection," Akira sobbed. "I'm your sister, don't you love me?"

"Sorry, but isn't the whole brother and sister kissing thing kind of weird?"

"You'll fall for anything!" Akira chimed, picking herself up again. "You seriously think I don't know by now what you look like when you lie to me? Why won't you tell me? I'm your sister."

"I'll tell you if you don't get mad," Akihisa said.

"I won't get mad, I promise. I'm cool with the whole thing as long as they're not girls, in which case I might have to cut you. Where do you think you're going?" she asked, grabbing Akihisa by his collar as he tried to flee. "Out on a date?"

"Please don't yell at me!"

"I can't believe you'd invite other women," Akira said.

"No, it's not like that! It's just, um…" Akihisa sighed. "The truth is, I had a lot of homework and they usually help me. Besides, we do most of these things together as a group. Sorry, I didn't know it would be an overnight thing."

"Alright," Akira said. "But if I catch you holding hands or making out with any of these girls, I won't hesitate to kill your entire family."

"Message received," he whispered. "Oh, and by the way, Akira…."

"What is it now?"

"Do you still remember Rena Kaibara?"

Me, Everyone, and Swimming in the Ocean!

"Well, Mrs. Kaibara," the doctor said. "There's nothing medically wrong with your daughter. Reina's perfectly fine."

Takano Kaibara growled under her breath, roughly grabbing her five-year-old daughter by the wrist and dragging her out of the doctor's office. They'd been to so many clinics and hospitals already, but none of the doctors had been able to explain why Reina was sick.

"Mama, am I sick?" Reina asked in her soft, childlike voice.

"Be quiet, you know you're sick," Takano barked. She'd become frustrated and tired over the last week.

"Mama, my neck itches," Reina said as soon as they got home.

"Shut up," Takano growled.

"But mama," Reina complained. Takano reached out and slapped her across the face.

"Shut up! Don't you see this is your fault?! He's never coming back because of you!"

"I'm sorry!" she sobbed. "What did I do wrong?"

"Die! Die!"

Rena awoke, scratching at her neck frantically. Once she had calmed down, she glanced at the calendar; today was the day that she and her friends were going to the beach. She'd all but forgotten the dream as she grabbed her bag and brushed her thick mahogany hair back into a loose braid. She heard a knock at the door and bounced eagerly to get it.

"Are you ready to go?" Hideyoshi asked her. Rena nodded with a smile on her face.

The day of the trip has finally arrived. Yippee.

"This is perfect beach weather, don't you think so?" Akihisa asked Yuuji.

"Yep," Yuuji replied, grinning.

"I couldn't sleep, I was so excited," Himeji squeaked. "I dreamed I was a mermaid."

"You are such a five year old sometimes," Minami said. "It's adorable."

"I can't wait for you to see the new swimsuit I bought for today."

"What? Didn't you just get a new one?" Minami asked.

"I did, but… it didn't exactly fit."

"Did you maybe… gain weight?"

"Shut up! You know how hard this is for me!"

"Face it; you're chest got bigger," Minami said. "But if it makes you feel better… I think I shrank."

"I think maybe you two are being a little overdramatic about this," Hideyoshi said. "You both look fine."

"Yeah easy for you to say!" Minami said. "Just because my breasts grow slower than yours doesn't mean you can rub it in."

"I'm a guy; I don't have breasts that grow at all!"

"Oh, whatever," Minami said. "Just because you were born curvy doesn't mean I won't grow over time."

"You should really be more sensitive about these things!" Himeji added.

"Hey, remember that time I told you I was a guy? Well, it's still true! Seriously, what's wrong with you two today?"

"She's what's wrong," Minami and Himeji said at the same time.

Hideyoshi sighed, looking over at Rena. The cat-like teen was staring out the window with a longing expression.

"You're quiet today, Rena," Hideyoshi said. "Is something wrong?"

Rena turned to him, smiling. "Nii… I was just thinking about my new swim suit," she replied. "Nipaa!"

"You're probably just nervous since you don't show a lot of skin all the time," Akihisa said. "I can't wait to see what your suit looks like. No! Wait—I didn't mean it like that!"

"Wow, I didn't know I was friends with such a pervatron," Kouta said, wiping his nose.

"Coming from the most creep-tastic guy I know!" Akihisa said. "Ugh, never mind."

Rena was thinking about her swim suit, and she was worried about how much skin would show. When she was younger, her mother had carved a demon tattoo across her back; the scar still remains. She didn't want her friends to get the wrong idea if they saw it.

"Hey, sorry to keep you all waiting," Rena said softly, suddenly appearing next to the group. They all looked at her; she was wearing a standard two piece that showed about half of the tattoo on her back, not that they could see it yet.

"You're not allowed to look at her, Yuuji," Shouko growled, stabbing his eyes.

Kouta's nose began to bleed for the first time that day; he and Akihisa collapsed in pools of blood. Himeji and Minami began crying on the ground, whilst Hideyoshi blushed ever so slightly.

"You look great, Rena," Akira said. "Why don't you come and sit with us?"

Rena sat between Akira and Hideyoshi, slightly self-conscious. Akira didn't seem to notice.

"So, it's been a while," Akira said. "How are your parents?"

"I haven't seen them in a while," Rena replied.

"That's unfortunate," Akira said. "But I'm glad you're happy here."

"Just go right, Aki," Minami said. The idiot was currently blindfolded, holding a baseball bat. A watermelon set a few feet away from him.

"No, left," Himeji said.

"Just go straight, you'll get it!"

"It's 32 degrees left and then forward at 4.7 meters."

"Dude, it's totally the other way," Kouta said.

"Who's telling the truth?" Akihisa thought. He listened for the sound of Yuuji's voice and struck out.

"Dude, that was close!" Yuuji said.

"I missed," Akihisa thought.

"That's funny; no one told you to go that way," Hideyoshi said.

"Hideyoshi, back off," Yuuji said. "Don't mess with a dude and his watermelon-bashing, what's wrong with you? Come on, my turn."

"You had it first last time," Akihisa said.

"Um, guys, could you stop fighting? Because… I'm getting kind of hungry," Himeji said.

"I wouldn't try, Himeji," Hideyoshi sighed.

Rena shot forward, jumped high into the air, and spread her legs apart in a split, kicking both Akihisa and Yuuji in the face, grabbed the bat, landed swiftly on her feet, ran the other way, and hit the watermelon with the bat. The green melon split evenly into ten pieces.

"And that's how a kitty does it," Kouta said, reloading his camera.

"It's about time!" Minami said.

"Good job, Rena," Himeji said.

Rena brought the watermelon over to the shade where the others were. Yuuji and Akihisa stared at her in shock for a second before laughing it off and joining the others.

Rena and Hideyoshi were collecting seashells together on the higher cliffs when they heard a scream. They looked up and saw an older-looking teenage boy, gripping Himeji's arm roughly.

"Hey, leave me alone! Help!" Himeji screamed helplessly. Rena immediately ran towards the two people, throwing her bucket of sharp sea urchins on the boy. He released Himeji in response, clawing at his back and turning around.

"Get away from her," Rena said in her soft manner.

"You gonna do something about it, tough little girl?" he demanded.

"You're not allowed here; leave now!"

The boy stalked forward, taking Rena's shoulders. He backed her up to the edge of the cliff, mercilessly taunting her.

"What are you going to do now? I hope you like swimming."

Rena felt the air cradle her as she was thrown off the cliff.

"RENA!" Hideyoshi cried.

When Rena opened her eyes again, she was in Yuuji's arms; he was carrying her to shore. He'd apparently been the one to save her when she fell off the cliff. The others were waiting anxiously by the shore.

"Rena!" Minami and Himeji cried.

"Yuuji, is she alright?!" Akihisa asked.

"She's alright," he called. "She's alive; she just didn't know how to swim."

"Thank goodness," Hideyoshi sighed as Rena stood on the sand.

"What were you thinking confronting them like that?" Yuuji demanded. "They were stronger than you; you could have been hurt or worse."

"I'm sorry," Rena apologized. "I didn't think, I just…"

"What's important is that you're safe now," Akira said. "You shouldn't scare us like that."

"Come on, Rena," Hideyoshi said. "You must be tired."

**Yay! Another chapter! Sorry that it took so long to post this chapter; I went to church and then Haven where some kids set a golf cart on fire and it was very hectic and tiring, so I couldn't really get my shenanigans together to write this chapter and post it. And I've been listening to a lot of Vocaloid on YouTube….**

**Anyway**

** It's the Dark Wolf Advice Corner! Yay! Today's question is from MikouMikouForever: "Since this is a HieyoshixOC story, will Hideyoshi and Rena ever kiss or something?"**

** Good question… Actually, Rena will hold his hand and stuff later. The thing is, since Rena's parents didn't get along well, she doesn't know much about human relationships. She's shy about things and such, but she will soon reach out to Hideyoshi in a more physical way. (Not a lemon, you perverts)**

"Ugh, I'm so tired."

"Maybe it's all the blood loss."

"Hey, we're all pretty dirty from hanging out at the beach; why don't we all go to the bath house?"

"That's a good idea!"


	7. Baths, Cameras, and Demon Scar!

"Ugh, I'm tired," Akihisa complained.

"Maybe it's all the blood loss, you think?" Hideyoshi suggested.

"I know, since we're all tired from hanging out at the beach, why don't we head to the bath house?" Yuuji suggested.

"That's a good idea," the others agreed.

Baths, Cameras, and Demon Scar

"The water's so warm," Himeji sighed, sinking into the steaming hot bath.

"Hey, Aiko," Akira said. "Can I borrow your shampoo?"

"Sure," Aiko replied, handing her the green bottle.

"Today was so fun, huh?" Minami asked Shouko.

"Yes," Shouko said. "Apart from the little… incident, I found spending the whole day with Yuuji quite enjoyable."

"The steam sure feels good, right, Rena?" Minami called, turning her head. She froze in her tracks and gasped. Rena had her back to the others; she was washing her hair over one shoulder, revealing the entirety of the demonic scar on her back. "R-Rena, what happened to you?"

"That's a pretty bad scar," Akira said. "I don't mean to pry, but how did you get that?"

"Dudette, that's intense," Aiko said.

"Forgive me for staring," Shouko said, averting her eyes sharply.

"Rena, what happened?" Himeji asked.

"I'm not going to talk about it," Rena said firmly.

"Sorry," Minami apologized, looking away awkwardly.

What the others didn't know was that a tiny camera was set up in the corner. It was the work of none other than Kouta Tsuchiya, who was waiting patiently on the other side of the wall for the others to leave so that he could collect the footage.

"What's up, Kouta?" Akihisa asked. "You seem intent on something."

"Nothing," the shy pervert lied.

On the other side of the wall, the camera lens buzzed quietly, adjusting to the new level of steam. Rena turned abruptly; her sensitive ears caught the noise. She glared at the little black object and wrapped herself in a towel. She reached into her bag and brought forth a paper clip. She proceeded to bend the paperclip out of shape and gouge it into the lens of the camera.

"Teach you to spy on us, bloody pervert," she hissed, detaching the camera from the wall.

"It was gone," Kouta thought the next Monday. "If Aiko or Minami knew I had that set up, they would kill me."

"Hey Kouta," Rena chirped happily, catching up to him. "I found something that I think is yours."

She held out her hand and Kouta took to object curiously. He tensed. The camera in his hand was mangled horrifically with a paper clip gouged into it.

"Tell me, what kind of pervert puts hidden cameras in a girl's bath?" Rena asked. Kouta looked back up at her; her voice had changed to a dangerous murmur. Rena looked up at him through her russet bangs. "Watch where you put those things."

Kouta nodded slightly, eager to be out of her presence. The girl grinned and turned to walk back down the hallway. Kouta looked back at the camera. The video reel seemed to be unharmed, so maybe he could salvage the video after all….

And so he did. He was scanning the video with his narrow, feline eyes when he saw something peculiar. He paused the video, censored everything else, and brought Akihisa and Yuuji to his hide out.

"What do you want with us, Kouta?" Yuuji asked. "If Shouko finds me here, I'm dead."

"Yeah, what's up?"

"Check it out," Kouta said, pointing to the small screen.

"Why is everything else censored?" Akihisa asked.

"What's that?" Yuuji asked, looking at the demon tattoo.

"It's a scar on Rena's back. What do you think it means?"

"Hey, I've seen that before; it's a demon tattoo," Akihisa said. "See? The number four in the center?"

"How'd you know that the number four stands for demons?"

"Those creepy Inquisition guys tattooed it on my side once," he explained. "Four stands for demon, six stands for the devil. There would be an insignia or character around the number symbolizing what kind of demon."

"The design around it looks like…" Yuuji stuttered.

"The character 'chi'," Kouta finished. "Blood."

"Blood demon? Why would she have something like that on her back?"

"No kidding," Yuuji said. "That's not like her at all."

"This is intense," Akihisa said. "I don't think we should be here."

"Yuuji, what are you doing?!" Shouko demanded in a harsh whisper. She was holding a bloody bat with nails sticking out of it.

"Run," Yuuji barked, bolting out of the dark room blindly. Kouta and Akihisa followed him, whilst Shouko paused to look at the camera feed. She continued the playback until the point where Rena gouged the paperclip into the lens.

"That's my Rena," she purred. She arose and ran after the boys.

"The camera was gone when I went back," Kouta said. "No one's going to get that special album now."

"You're worried about that stupid camera?!" Yuuji demanded. "I'm lucky Shouko spared my life!"

"What are you three talking about?" Hideyoshi asked.

"Usually, we'd keep this from the girls, but I'll let you in on it," Akihisa said, ignoring Hideyoshi's annoyed expression. "Kouta set up a camera in the girl's bath, and he got a picture of a demon tattoo on Rena's back."

"Totally ignoring the perverse intention," Hideyoshi said. "A demon tattoo? Why would she have something like that?"

"We think somebody did it to her," Yuuji said.

"But still, a demon tattoo? That makes no sense."

"I know," Akihisa agreed. "She's so sweet and innocent all the time; how could—?"

"Yuuji, bad news," a student said, running into the room. "Class B wants to declare war on us."

Baka and Test

"He's going to send someone tomorrow," the student finished.

"This is bad," Yuuji said. "Nemoto has to be planning something. Why else would he challenge us?"

"Yeah, and he's pretty desperate to regain his pride after what we did to him," Hideyoshi said.

"Should we engage?" Akihisa asked. "I mean, if we don't know his strategy then…."

"Kouta, can you set up cameras and/or wiretaps in Class B?" Yuuji asked.

"Forget it," Kouta said. "All of my cameras are fried."

"What are we going to do?" Minami asked. "We can't take our normal approach, can we?"

"Maybe he just wants us to think that," Yuuji said. "To trip up our patterns. But even if we win, he'll just come back with a worse plan."

"So what do we do?" Hideyoshi asked.

"Since Kouta's cameras are out, we need someone on the inside," Yuuji said.

"Please don't let it be me," Akihisa mumbled.

"Rena, you're cute and innocent," Yuuji said. "I want you to talk to Nemoto; get him to tell you his plan. Get back to me first thing tomorrow with it so that we can set up a plan."

"Got it," Rena said, beaming.

After school, Rena went to Class 3-B, where Nemoto was straightening some of his homework. He looked up at her, slightly staggered by her charming form right in front of his desk. He didn't recognize her as a Class F student.

"Are you lost?" he asked her, putting his papers in his bag.

"I… I just wanted to talk to you… Nemoto," she kitten-whispered as innocently as she could.

"Oh, alright," he said.

"It looks like she caught him," Yuuji said. He, Kouta, Hideyoshi, and Akihisa had been watching her from out in the doorway. He put his hands behind his head coolly. "Come on, she can handle it from here."

"So, I hear you're going to challenge Class F?" Rena mewed. "Isn't it dangerous? I mean, aren't they stronger than Class B?"

"No, of course they aren't," he growled. "They're idiots; they will never be able to defeat us."

"So you're just going to run in with all you have?" she continued.

Nemoto glared at her from the corner of his eye. He was picking up an under-cover spy vibe from his visitor. He studied her acquitted face, unsure whether to trust her and risk losing the test war, or question her and risk offending her.

"It's not important," he said. "What class are you from?"

"I'm a transfer student," she informed him.

"That doesn't answer my question," he thought. Was she trying to throw him away from the question?

"Did you know that if a body were laying horizontally over one of these desks that it would take three hours for him to bleed out?"

"No," Nemoto replied, trying to hold his composure despite his discomfort pertaining to her violent statistic. It went without saying that she was mentally more advanced than Class F students. "How do you figure?"

"The balance of gravitational force over something as thick as blood is easy to figure; it's common sense. If you cut once across each wrist, once across each ankle, and once in the neck, then the blood will be drawn out of the body in time to bury it before anyone sees it."

"Quite the gruesome topic for a young lady," Nemoto said.

"Oh it is, is it?" she hissed, turning to face him with a dagger in her hand. Nemoto backed up, beads of sweat running down his face. "But, if you lay across two of the desks, but I stab you several times in the chest, I'm sure you'll bleed out in two and a half hours."

"Who put you up to this? Sakamoto?"

"Well, he said to dissuade you from challenging us. He didn't say I had to kill you; he was going more for the idea of collecting information."

"Don't kill me," he said. "I'll cancel the Test War. I'll do whatever you want."

"All I want," Rena said, "Is to watch your blood run down the legs of those two desks."

"You won't get away with this!" Nemoto screamed. "Do you think I'll go quietly? Someone will hear me screaming!"

"That's what duct tape is for," Rena said conventionally, holding up a silver roll of tape.

Nemoto was lying across two joined desks, whilst Rena straddled him, stabbing his chest with the silver knife. Her movements were vaguely angelic as she bent her upper body backward, raising the knife above her head, and threw her body down again, gouging the dagger deeper into the gaping hole in Nemoto's chest. A pair of Hello Kitty headphones buried her ears in the sweet sound of "Triple Baka" by Hatsune Miku. Blood covered the desks, Nemoto's limp corpse, and the front of Rena's school uniform. Outside, the sun was setting, casting a dusty glow over the mechanically moving assassin.

"Did Nemoto declare war yet?" Minami asked.

"Nope," Yuuji replied. "Actually, I haven't seen him all day."

"Do you think Rena did something that made him chicken out?" Akihisa suggested.

"Don't be stupid, Rena would never do something like that," Yuuji said. He looked up as Hideyoshi and Rena walked into class. "Rena, what's new with Nemoto?"

"He wouldn't tell me anything," she said. "But I don't think he'll bother us anymore."

"See? I was right after all," Akihisa said in a childishly defiant way.

"Good work anyway," Yuuji said.

"Hey, Rena," Hideyoshi said. "What did you do to make him back off?"

"It's a secret," she said, winking. She frowned, looking down as she began to scratch at her neck.

And yet, the Vocaloids never get caught for their murders.

** The whole stabbing scene and Vocaloid references was a funny reference that I've been dying to write. It's a reference to a YouTube video called "I will show you how I feel," in which Miku stabs Kaito a million times because he cheated on her. I know if I used the song "Love is War" then it would've been a bit more recognizable, but I thought "Triple Baka" was more fitting for this anime. I thought this entire chapter was funny in its own way.**

** And now it's time for the Dark Wolf Advice Corner! Today's question comes from Miku Miku Forever! (This guy again?) His question is, "How can I write a good story like you?"**

** First, you need an idea of setting (such as an anime that you want to write a fanfiction off of, or your own setting and characters), then you need to know what you want to do, what you want to accomplish (for instance, in my Fruits Basket fanfiction, I wanted Akito to feel less lonely and for the Sohmas to get along). This story doesn't have a real goal to it; I just thought it would be fun to write these characters in this scenario. The rest is pretty self-explanatory; use good spelling and grammar, keep the readers interested, etc.**

** Tip: if you write fanfiction, it interests and pleasantly surprises readers if you use references to other series, cool things like Vocaloid, or make sarcastic comments in your author's notes.**

** Seriously, guys, leave a review or else MIKU WILL FIND YOU AND STAB YOU IN THE THROAT. Just kidding… ish….**

** Next chapter: Dark Mazes, Love Skills, and Summoned Kitties!**

"Of course, the only way to get past that pole dancer is to send two girls in."

"You're not scared, are you?"

"Hideyoshi… would you mind if I held onto your arm?"

"Uh… sure, if you want to…."


	8. Idiots, Hope, and Summoned Beasts!

"Mom, please don't leave!" Reina cried. "I'll be good! I'll stop scratching! Look, my scars are healing!" She stripped her neck of the bloody bandages.

"I should have never given birth to you," Takano said stoically as she closed the door behind her, leaving Reina in the dark, desolate house.

"I'm sorry… I'm sorry…."

Idiots, Hope, and Summoned Beasts!

And now we can recap the last episode….

During the school festival, the two third year students known as the Tokonatsu duo blah, blah, blah, they're jerks. They challenged the second-year students to a haunted house. The second year students would go into the haunted house created by the third year students in groups of two. If they scream or make noise above a set volume, they will immediately be disqualified. Challengers will fight avatar battles against the haunted house inhabitants at four checkpoints. If they clear all four checkpoints, the challengers win. However, if all the challengers are defeated, the haunted house inhabitants win.

Presently, the Tokonatsu duo devised another way to make the second years lose. A gymnast from class 3-A was ribbon dancing to distract and torment all of the boys, so Yuuji sent Hideyoshi and Rena inside. The couple was walking peacefully down the dark hallway; Rena didn't even flinch whenever monsters or ghosts appeared out of nowhere to scare them. Hideyoshi glanced over at her.

"Nyu?" Rena murmured, turning her head. "Is anything wrong?"

"You're not scared?" Hideyoshi asked. "Most normal girls would at least be a little scared."

"I'm not scared at all, Hideyoshi," she assured him, smiling. She looked ahead as they approached the gymnast.

"What's this?" the gymnast sighed. "Oh, it's just two girls. For now, my work here is done. I'll leave them to you."

She disappeared and a giant spider replaced her. The second-year students summoned their avatars and prepared for battle. Their avatars were similar; both were sexy cat-people with variations in color and weapons.

"Let's ignore how it looks," Hideyoshi said. "His score isn't that high."

"Right," Rena said hastily, going for the kill almost immediately. The bug dissipated in a cloud of digital data bits.

"Nice… work," Hideyoshi said. "We might actually be able to clear all four checkpoints."

Their avatars digressed and the two began walking again. Ghosts and ghouls would spring out at them at every turn, but they both remained composed. It was at one point when all of the monsters seemed to disappear, most likely plotting something scarier.

"Um… Hideyoshi?" Rena kitten-whispered. "Can I… hold onto your arm?"

"Uh… sure, if you want to," Hideyoshi replied, blushing a light pink. He stared straight ahead as Rena wrapped her hands around his forearm and leaned her head on his shoulder. "Don't be scared; we're almost there."

"It's about time you two showed up," the boy at the third checkpoint said.

"Well, seeing as we're finally here, why not tell me where all the monsters went?" Hideyoshi taunted sarcastically.

"Shut up!" he growled. "You're just lucky you didn't get scared. What's wrong with your girlfriend? She just stares ahead stoically, it's like she has no soul!"

"Hey!" Hideyoshi shouted. The microphone on his collar beeped and he lowered his voice. "Watch what you say about her."

"That's it, isn't it?" the boy continued. "If you can't taunt them physically, you taunt them mentally. This chick is mental, right? I mean, what did she even do to Nemoto? No one's even heard from him since she talked to him. I wonder what I would see if we'd have taped the entire thing."

"That's enough!" Hideyoshi said. "We came here to fight, so stop messing around and summon your avatar!"

"You should have been in the haunted house, for crying out loud! No one would have even come in!"

"SHUT UP!" Rena screamed. The microphone buzzed once before the entire room went dark.

The rest of the second year students, who had been watching from a video feed, watched the screen go black.

"What happened?" Yuuji asked.

"It looks like her scream was loud enough to scatter the system," Kouta said. "The good news is, they're not disqualified."

"How is that even possible?" Minami asked.

"Well, unlike the other teams, whose screams got gradually louder over time, Rena shouted so shortly, suddenly, and at such a high frequency that the system jumped. It should be back online soon."

"I didn't know she could raise her voice above a whisper," Akihisa said.

Hideyoshi and Rena were alone in the dark; the other person had fled.

"I never knew you had that in you," Hideyoshi remarked.

Baka and Test

Once the lights came back on, Hideyoshi and Rena continued walking down the path. The third checkpoint had been "cleared." They paused when someone approached them from behind.

"Hideyoshi," he said. "My name is Tsunemura, and I uh… I think I'm in love with you!"

Hideyoshi's eye's widened, and he felt like he was about to scream.

"Well, that's too bad," Rena said, standing in front of Hideyoshi.

Hideyoshi glanced at Rena, who was staring firmly at Tsunemura.

"What? Do you think Hideyoshi likes you instead? Don't make me laugh, Kaibara. Hey, where are you going?" he asked, watching Rena lead Hideyoshi the other way. As they were walking, Hideyoshi glanced at Rena again.

They got to the last checkpoint, where the duo was waiting.

"Looks like they made it out," one said feigning amusement.

"They hardly cleared the last checkpoint," the other muttered. "Cheaters."

"Well, if the system clears it then it should count as cleared," Hideyoshi said.

"Let's just get this over with," he growled, summoning his avatar.

"Summon!" Hideyoshi and Rena chorused. Their cat avatars apparated into the battlefield.

"Their scores are pretty high," Hideyoshi said. "I'll get the one on the right, you get the one on the left."

Rena nodded, sending her avatar forward. Her score rose dramatically and she struck out. Her attack was countered clumsily, but she kept pursuing. She had to do this, for once not for her class, but for the entire group of second years. Yuuko Kinoshita, from Class A, who had ridiculed her and brought the question to her mind to leave Fumizuki Academy. Miharu and Kubo, from Class God-knows-what, who continuously pestered Rena's friends and tried to force themselves upon everything. Aiko, from class C, who, as cruelly as possible, made Rena realize how much she loved being here with other people. They were all connected; standing together against the truer enemy.

"You're the glitch, right?" her opponent asked. "If that's so, I know just how to get rid of you."

His avatar lunged forward, stabbing a spear through Rena's avatar's chest. Rena slid backwards, doubled over from the pain. She glared at him through her wispy mahogany bangs, bringing forth all the energy she could muster.

"Rena Kaibara," he said. "The girl you can't get down. You really do belong with those ridiculously positive idiots."

"We're not idiots just because we know how to have a good time," Rena said. "Aiko and Shouko… even Miharu and Kubo…."

"You should hear yourself," he growled. "Look at you; kneeling on the ground, holding off on licking your wounds, talking about how you all positively waste your time. It's not just Class F; the entire second-year student body is a plague of idiots! That's just so because we're better."

"Will you shut up?" Rena asked. "Your pride is disgusting! There's nothing wrong with us just because you're better." She got to her feet. "There's nothing wrong with losing a Summoner Test War if you stick beside your classmates." While she spoke, her avatar attacked the other. "There's nothing wrong with falling into the ocean if you did it defending your friend." Another hit—minus thirty points. "There's nothing wrong with failing your exams, with the exception of Akihisa writing the first answer where his name was supposed to be. There's nothing wrong with being stupid as long as you do it in your own way." The opposing avatar was backed up against the wall, but struck out suddenly, pushing Rena back.

"You really are stupid," he growled. "You'll never make a living if you don't pass your exams," his avatar stabbed her avatar's leg. "You'll never be higher than pigs if you don't win the equipment from another class." Another hit made Rena whimper. "And if you stand out too much, no one will like you."

He turned to Hideyoshi, who had defeated the other. "Do you think he would like you if it weren't for your glitch? Do you think you'd stand out without it? When we beat you, we'll beat you so bad that you'll have to take a recovery test and then your scores will be permanent."

"Shut up, Tokonatsu," Hideyoshi shouted, jumping in front of Rena protectively. "What's your problem, talking like this to a girl? There's nothing wrong with us, so back off!"

He was almost screaming loud enough to be disqualified, but he wanted to make sure these people heard him.

"Rena is the most amazing girl I've ever met," he continued, minding his volume a little more. "She doesn't care about grades, or even problems. Even if she had permanent scores, even if she were perfect, what difference would it make?"

"Hideyoshi," Rena whispered. "Stop it; you don't need to do this."

"She doesn't seem to need a knight in shining armor to save her, either," the other Tokonatsu brother said. "So back off and let us handle this."

"No, it's not that," Rena said, taking Hideyoshi's hand. "I need other people to stand beside me sometimes… I'm just so used to facing these things alone. Hideyoshi, are you ready?"

"Yes," Hideyoshi replied.

Their energies bonded together as their avatars fought side by side. Their parallel actions eventually proved how much small scores can add up.

"I never knew two avatars could bond forces like that," Yuuji said the next day. "But anyway, I'm glad we were able to vanquish those idiots again."

"Hopefully they'll stay down this time," Hideyoshi agreed.

"I thought it was interesting how you two cleared the third checkpoint," Minami said. "I never knew you had it in you, Rena."

"There are a lot of things you don't know about me," Rena said, winking and putting her finger to her lips. She turned back to the book on her wooden desk, scratching absent-mindedly at her neck. She gasped and pulled her hand away, staring at the dark red blood underneath her nails in horror.

** This chapter was a little bit harder to write for the sake of getting my thoughts and intention sorted out. Thank you all for all of the views! Even if you never review, I promise I won't kill you! Anyway, I know I skipped a whole episode, but there wasn't much different interaction with my Other Character, so I found it time consuming and pointless. The flashback in the beginning was a Katourou-san reference. Yeah… and uh… stuff…. I'm sorry if the fight scene seemed to drag on forever. I've been watching a lot of Ouran High school Host Club, so the cliff scene and some dialogue are kind of reference-y to that. I've also seen some Umineko, but I'm trying not to let that interfere with my B&T vibe.**

** Dark Wolf Advice Corner! Today's question is from Miku Miku Forever! (Will this guy ever give up? Seriously, you need to give me a review.) His question is: "I'm obsessed with anime and music and it's getting out of hand. What do I do?"**

** Simple, have a more-to-life-than-anime day in which you occupy yourself with other things like Just Dance, culinary cooking, and books.**

** The next chapter is going to be killer! (No, the story was not going to end here; you still don't know what Rena's problem is.)**

"Kouta, what did I tell you about putting cameras in the girl's locker room?"

"Did you find all thirty three of them?"

"There were thirty-six, and yes."

"Rena, what darkness hides within you?"


	9. Scar, Lost Past, and Mental Breakdown!

"Kouta, what did I tell you about putting cameras in the girls' locker room?" Rena asked sweetly.

"Leave me alone; you never told me anything."

"That must be why I found these," she said, putting five cameras with paperclips gouged into their lenses on his wooden desk.

"I see you've found all of them," Kouta grumbled.

"There were six," she said, putting the last one out. "And yes, I did. Don't worry; if you're careful around the paperclips, they're totally usable."

"Wow," Hideyoshi said. "I never knew you were so mean to Kouta's cameras."

"I can't believe that pervert was trying to spy on us like that," Himeji said.

Lost Past, Scar, and Mental Breakdown!

"Hey, Rena," Hideyoshi asked, approaching his friend at school.

"What's up?" she asked.

"Is something wrong? I mean, yesterday, you just walked home and didn't talk to me."

"Everything's shiny," she said, smiling at him, tilting her head slightly. "Nipah!"

Hideyoshi's face relaxed into an easy grin. He put his hand on Rena's head like he always does. Instead of laughing or something, Rena's face became blankly serious. She stared ahead, but Hideyoshi didn't seem to notice.

"Oh, Rena," he said in a cheerful tone. "What darkness hides within you?"

**Why must you do these things?**

**You know you're sick.**

** It's your entire fault!**

** Die! Die! Reina Kaibara, just die already!**

** I should have never given birth to you.**

Rena ducked her head and backed away clumsily, making Hideyoshi look at her. She put her hands against her skull, looking up with a distant look in her eye. She was shaking, her lips moving silently.

"Rena, what's wrong?" Hideyoshi observed her lips, trying to make out what she was trying to say.

"I'm sorry," she mouthed. "I'm sorry… I'm sorry… I'm sorry…."

Rena stopped whispering to herself; she looked up, confused and sick. She collapsed to her knees, covering her mouth with one hand as if she were going to be sick. She now had everyone else's full attention. Hideyoshi knelt next to her; worry tainted his features as she threw up.

"Rena, do you not feel well?" he asked. He put his hand on her shoulder. "Here, let me take you home…." He drew back to see blood coating his fingers. Rena had begun clawing at her neck. "Rena, you're bleeding!"

Rena pushed him away so forcefully that he crashed into the opposite wall. He gasped from the unexpected blow and sank to the ground in a heap. Rena let out a scream, tears spilling over the brims of her wide eyes.

"Rena!" Akihisa cried, stepping towards her rapidly.

"Hideyoshi!" Yuuji called, debating on who to help. To his gratitude, Minami and Himeji went to Hideyoshi's side. Yuuji nodded slightly and turned to Akihisa and Rena.

"Easy, Rena," Akihisa said. "It's okay; I just want to help."

"No," she whispered, backing up against the wall. "No… no… I can't… I'm sorry… I just can't… I'm sorry… I'm so sorry…."

She began clawing at her throat, making even more blood creep around the collar of her shirt. Akihisa wasn't sure at first, but he swore he saw little, white, squirming maggots crawling out of the wound and writhing on the floor. Akihisa tried to swallow the bile at the back of his throat as he took another step towards her.

"Be careful, Akihisa," Yuuji warned him. "You don't want to get thrown too."

"Rena, what's wrong?" Akihisa murmured. His eyes widened; he understood now.

Once, when they were children playing together, Rena fell down, scraping her knee. Pale maggots would crawl out of the wound as if her flesh was dying. Akira had called Rena's mother, who came to pick her up in a rage. Later, Rena was able to explain that it was all a misunderstanding—she had maggots in her blood because she was sick.

"Hey, are those…?" Yuuji deliberated, staring at the albino worms in revulsion.

"Maggots," Akihisa nodded.

Baka and Test

"I'm fine," Hideyoshi insisted as the nurse, Sayo, wrapped his wrist in gauze. "What about Rena?"

"She'll be fine, I suppose," Sayo said, glancing at the girl, who was resting on the cot in the corner.

"You suppose?! That's not good enough!" Hideyoshi yelled, slamming his fist on the table and getting to his feet. He winced from the pain and collapsed as Sayo took his hand once more. "I'm sorry; I shouldn't have reacted like that."

"I understand your concern for her, Hideyoshi," the woman said. "Tell me, does Rena Kaibara suffer from… night terrors?"

"Nightmares? No, I don't think so."

"You don't know much about Rena, do you?"

Hideyoshi thought about it for a moment. In truth, he didn't really know that much about her. "Well…."

"Do you know of any mental or physical abuse she has suffered in the past?"

"No," Hideyoshi replied. "Wait… yes…." He glanced at the peacefully sleeping person he considered his girlfriend. He was hesitant; would it cause Kouta or the others trouble if he shared this information? "There's… a demon tattoo… carved on her back."

"I see," Sayo said, jotting the newly found material on a notepad. "What kind of demon tattoo?"

"I don't really know," he said. "All I know is that it was put there against her will."

"I see," Sayo glanced at the other. "Why don't you step out for a second so that I can have a look?"

Hideyoshi nodded and did as he was told, whilst Sayo lifted the back edge of Rena's shirt. There was indeed a demon tattoo; it had the character for blood. The nurse replaced Rena's shirt and called Hideyoshi back into the room.

"It's a Blood Demon tattoo," she informed him. "Yoshi and Sakamoto told me she had maggots in her blood, so I took a sample. Does Rena live with her parents?"

"She doesn't have contact with them," he said. "She gives me the impression that they abandoned her."

"All alone, huh? Well, that explains a few things. Has she ever shown signs of being disturbed like this before?"

Again, Hideyoshi was hesitant; he didn't want to share something that would be considered too personal. If Rena thinks he'd betrayed her, where would that put her?

"Anything that she shares with you can be shared with me," Sayo said.

"If that's true, why don't you ask her yourself when she awakens?" he asked.

"She might not want to share with me," Sayo explained.

"Hideyoshi?" Rena whispered, waking up. Hideyoshi ran to her bedside, relief washing over him.

"Rena," he sighed. "I'm so glad you're okay."

"I'm sorry," she whispered, tears dancing behind her eyes. Hideyoshi put a hand on her cheek reassuringly.

"Enough of that," he said. "I'm fine."

"Rena," Sayo said softly. "Would you like to tell me why you have maggots in your blood?"

"That's enough," Hideyoshi hissed at her, helping Rena to her feet. "You've interrogated us enough. Come on, Rena; I'll take you home."

He and Rena left Sayo speechless, and walked out into the hallway to see Yuuji, Minami, Himeji, Akihisa, Shouko, and Kouta leaning against the walls. They all looked up intently.

"How'd it go?" Yuuji asked.

"I…" Rena tried to casually compose herself. "I'm fine; Nii—"

"No nipah," Yuuji growled, bracing his arms on the wall on either side of her. He stared furiously into her eyes. "You can't just brush it off and tell me it was nothing. Something happened back there that I don't really like, and that's one of my friends being helpless. Rena, this may be hard for you to believe, but you need to talk to us; you can't let yourself get upset like this."

Rena stared up at him in shock for a moment.

"Come on," he sighed, lowering his arms. "You need to go home. I'll take you."

"Do you mind if we come too?" Akihisa asked.

"You're so kind to me," she whispered. "You actually care. I'm human; I'm not… furniture anymore."

Akihisa put his arms around her and began to lead her down the hallway. Hideyoshi put both hands on her shoulder whilst Kouta and the others trailed behind supportively.

** Isn't that cute? Sorry that it's shorter than usual, but at least it's not the oh-so-typical two-sentence chapter in which one thing happens. I swear, some people don't know how to write fanfiction. Well, I appreciate every view I get, if you want to tell your friends about me. Anyway, TODAY'S SPECIAL HIGURASHI REFERENCE IS: Rena's maggots! Yeah! I know I'm possibly overusing maggots, with all of my Fruits Baskets fanfictions out there, but I just couldn't resist. Please don't throw things at me.**

** So, I'm getting into all the SRS BSNSS of writing this fanfiction, huh? However, this is the time that I want a reader's opinion. I have two options, but you can express your own ideas if you so desire. Either Sayo is a crazy *ABK48* and tries to ruin Rena's life, in which Rena responds by going on a killing spree, or Rena just tells her friends about everything FIRST and then Sayo tries to ruin Rena's life, in which the others respond by being very supportive and standing beside Rena. Until I get a review telling me which you prefer, my uploads will be delayed.**


	10. Secrets, Dead Bodies, and Trouble!

Kouta walked into the classroom early, thinking he would be alone for a while. He was mildly surprised when he saw Rena sitting at her desk already. He nodded his head in acknowledgement.

"Kouta?" Rena's voice was deathly serious. "These aren't your pictures, are they?"

Kouta looked up, walking over to her desk and peering over her shoulder. He gasped, taking in the images of Rena's demon scar and several cuts on her neck. He took a step back; he'd never taken pictures like that.

"Those aren't mine, I swear," he said. Rena laughed and turned to him.

"I know, I was just making sure," she smiled at him sweetly before punching him in the stomach. Kouta collapsed to the ground from the sudden pain.

"You're stronger than you look," he rasped. He went completely limp.

Secrets, Dead Bodies and Trouble!

"It's true what they say, so I wouldn't go anywhere near the lake," Akihisa was talking with Yuuji, Minami, and Himeji as they walked into Class 2-F. He glanced at Kouta. "Kouta!"

"It was Rena," he stammered, lifting himself to his hands and knees.

"What?"

"Why would she do something like this?" Himeji squeaked.

"Darn," Yuuji hissed. "What's her problem? She was all cute and innocent until now."

"Kouta, what happened?" Akihisa asked, helping his friend to his feet.

"The pictures," he whispered. "They're not mine, but she has pictures."

"Pictures of her demon scar, if I'm not mistaken," Yuuji said. "If Kouta didn't take them, then that means someone else is interested in her past."

"Where's Hideyoshi?" Minami asked. "Maybe he knows."

"What if Rena got to him first?!" Himeji demanded with worry.

"Rena, are you ready?" Hideyoshi asked, walking into Rena's apartment. "That's weird, she's not here."

Worry traced his thoughts as he walked to school by himself. If Rena was missing, she could hurt herself or worse. Maybe she'd gone to school alone. However, when he reached the classroom, Rena was nowhere to be found. Minami and Mizuki bolted towards him, wrapping their arms protectively around him.

"Hideyoshi! We're so glad you're safe!"

"Safe? I don't know what you're talking about," he said, pulling away from the two. "What's going on?"

"Rena's lost it," Kouta said.

"Have you seen her today?" Minami asked.

"No, she wasn't at her apartment this morning," Hideyoshi replied.

"Rena has pictures of her scars and Kouta claims they weren't his," Yuuji explained quickly. "Think about this; she's in full defensive mode. My guess is she'll be worse than she was yesterday."

"Where is she?!"

"Don't know," Yuuji continued. "She knocked Kouta out and left before we got here."

"We have to find her before—"

"Let's think about this, guys," Yuuji said. He was in his strategic mode now. "She's pursuing whoever took those pictures, and by what Kouta told us, she knows exactly who."

"Sayo," Hideyoshi replied at once, making the others turn to him.

"The nurse?" Akihisa clarified.

"She was acting suspicious, like she'd treated these cases before," Hideyoshi nodded. "And I know the perfect time for her to get those pictures—when I left the room."

"Why would Sayo want to do this?" Himeji asked.

"It's obvious," Yuuji said. "She wants to take Rena back to Kyoto. She's a new nurse; she showed up around the time Rena claimed she was discharged from the hospital there."

"Sayo worked as a doctor in Kyoto for twenty years, at a much better pay," Kouta added, nodding. Always trust Kouta to retain confidential information. "Based on some records, I was able to find out they're still in contact frequently."

"Wait," Akihisa said. "So she's still working there?"

"To keep tabs on Rena," Minami realized, nodding. "What if this disease that she had… has… is more than we're making it up to be?"

"That's exactly it," Yuuji said. "Rena can be a specimen under research; she left Kyoto and changed her name to forget about it when she was discharged."

"It's all beginning to make sense!" Akihisa said.

Truthfully, they didn't understand half of it. In the nurse's office, Sayo was rapidly skimming over a collection of notes in a black notebook. She was in contact with Kyoto Medical Research Society, but her work was otherwise independent. She was the only one who wanted the proof of the Maggot Disease. So far, the petit nurse observed that moments of intense fear, pain, or anger could cause the disease to flare up. Symptoms included scratching at arteries, such as the neck and wrists, due to maggots spreading through the bloodstream, as well as states of mental unpredictability.

Baka and Test

Rena scoured the junkyard; she knew she'd be able to find a weapon here if things got out of hand in her showdown with Sayo. She may have been able to beat up her friend, but Sayo was stronger and had needles and scalpels. After an hour of searching she found what she so desperately wanted; a two-foot-long, hook-billed machete. She picked the shiny tool up with ease; she was indeed a lot stronger than she looked.

There was only one thing she needed now. If she'd learned anything in this school of idiots, it was the fact that she couldn't just rush blindly into battle. She needed a strategy. Her plan had to ensure a safe route to killing Sayo and getting rid of the body without involving her friends or other students. She figured she could always lure Sayo out of the building….

"We need to know where Rena is before we do anything about this," Yuuji said. "If things are really as bad as they seem, Rena could be dangerous."

"She's not on school grounds," Kouta said, staring at the several screens of live feed he had from several cameras.

"Either that or she could be messing with you," Hideyoshi said. "Think about what she did to your cameras."

"She's there," Kouta said, pointing at one of the screens. Rena was at the back entrance, machete in hand, licking a bleeding spot on her wrist. She was dragging a black trash bag behind her.

"Where'd she get that machete?" Akihisa said.

"That's probably where she's been," Yuuji figured. "If she needs a weapon, she's undoubtedly pursuing Sayo. We need to protect Sayo and the other students, just until we can make her listen to us."

"Right," Minami said.

"Just tell us what to do," Himeji agreed.

"Kouta, I want you to stay here and watch the cameras. If anything happens, contact us. The rest of us need to pursue Rena, but we need to be careful. She needs to stay outside of the building, if possible, for us to talk to her."

"Are you sure she'll listen to us?" Akihisa asked. Yuuji put a hand on his shoulder.

"She has to, Akihisa," he said. "She's our friend; we have to try."

"So how will we go about this?" Hideyoshi asked. "We've never had to deal with a killer before, and we don't have a lot of time."

"Uh, Yuuji?" Kouta said. "Your girlfriend is about to get it."

"She's not my—wait, Shouko?!" Yuuji turned to the video feed.

Shouko was standing in Rena's way to the school, holding a wooden bat with bloody nails sticking out of it crookedly. Rena paused, smiling.

"What's wrong with you, Rena?" Shouko asked. "You were so sweet, but I guess I knew it was all an act."

Rena laughed. "I'm glad that no one else knows. Besides you and… that perverse camera boy."

"What did you do?" Shouko asked. Rena merely smiled at her menacingly. "Answer me, Rena. What did you do to Kouta Tsuchiya?"

"He's safe, don't worry," she sneered negatively. "None of this is your business, so leave me alone."

"Rena, I won't let you hurt anyone else," Shouko said firmly. "You hurt Hideyoshi Kinoshita, you hurt Kouta, and you did something, I know you did something, to Nemoto."

A flash of shock cleansed Rena's face for a moment. She frowned at the other.

"I'm right, aren't I? Why else would it be such a painful subject for you? For where I'm standing, that seems to be the roots for this entire thing," she said, pointing her bat at Rena. Rena twitched, clawing at her neck again. "You're sick Rena; your friends can help you."

"LIAR!" Rena screamed, diving forward, swinging her machete. Shouko reflected the attack with difficulty.

"Rena!" Akihisa yelled, running out to the other two. "Rena, stop!"

The cat-girl turned on him, growling. She threw Shouko in the opposite direction; the violet-haired girl stumbled to the concrete sidewalk.

"Rena, let us help you," Akihisa said. "I know you're scared, and I know you might not want to talk about it, but you can't keep doing this to people who care about you. You don't have to do any of this!"

"But, Akihisa…." Rena whispered, tears dancing away from her eyes.

"Talk to me! Tell me what happened between you and Nemoto! Tell me why…" he inhaled sharply. "Tell me… why the hell are there maggots in your blood?!"

"Akihisa, shut up for a second," Rena growled. "You think I can tell you? Do you think I know? You're so selfish sometimes without even knowing it. Akihisa Yoshi," she yelled, raising her machete. "You idiot!"

"No," Shouko whispered, lunging in between them. She cried out in pain and fell to the ground, unsure of what happened. She gripped her shoulder in agony, relieved to feel that it wasn't bleeding, just twisted.

"Shouko!" Yuuji cried, kneeling beside her. "Are you okay?"

"It's okay, Yuuji," Shouko said, pointing at Rena with her good arm. The other girl was standing a few feet farther away now, her head down, the machete lowered to the ground. Hideyoshi was approaching her carefully. "Rena sees it now."

"Rena," Hideyoshi said. "You need to calm down. It's okay; we're all here for you."

"If that's the case," Rena said. She kicked the trash bag forward tensely. It rolled awkwardly until the top opened, revealing its contents… Nemoto's body.

My name was Reina Kaibara. I lived with my parents here for a long time. One day, I scraped my knee and found out there were maggots inside my blood. I would do terrible things to myself and other people around me; I liked seeing blood. My mother took me to every hospital she could, but none of them could diagnose me. My father left around this time because my odd behavior was too much for him. My mother began abusing me, calling me demonic things.

Then she found a hospital in Kyoto; it was a research center. One doctor, Sayo Yagami, specialized in this certain disease's research. The treatment was pathetic, in no way strenuous or healing. I had to attend real school, where no one talked to me. I wasn't happy, but I looked healthy.

As soon as I was discharged from the hospital, my mother abandoned me, saying she hated me. I had nothing. No friends, no family. With my stray cat, Lawliet, in tow, I made my way back here and changed my name to Rena. I made friends that I never thought I could have, but all joy must end.

But when Nemoto taunted me as students at Kyoto High school did, I became overwhelmed by the past and killed him. This awakened the disease within me again, that's why I've been clawing at my neck. I know, no matter what, as long as Sayo is alive, I'll have to go back to Kyoto.

"Now you know everything," Rena said. A second of silence past, and Rena turned to walk away. She felt a hand on her shoulder.

"Where are you going?" Hideyoshi asked her. "We still have a nurse to take down."

"Huh?" Rena raised her head and turned around. Her friends were standing together in a loose semi-circle. "But, that's not…."

"Didn't I tell you that no matter what, we'd be there for you?" Akihisa asked. "Besides, you need us."

"Did you even have a strategy?" Yuuji asked her.

"And you need to be everywhere at once," Kouta added.

"And you need an idiot to mess it all up," Minami said, gesturing to Akihisa.

"Hey!"

"You idiots," Rena said, smiling. "You never know when to quit."

** Yeah, I know, right? I'm glad I got Rena's past in order. Since nobody freaking REVIEWED, I just assumed you all hate us and I went ahead and wrote this chapter. Do you know what's coming up next?! That's right; they are going after Sayo. HAHAHA! I don't know how I will ever drop my obsession with Rena's MAH-CHET, but I need to get over it someday… I just really want one.**

** Dark Wolf Advice Corner! Today's question is from Houjou-Teppei—**

**Take 2**

** Today's question is from Wolf and Soda! Wolf asks: "Why didn't we make a YouTube trailer for this story?"**

** Good question. Uh…. :?**

** Next chapter: Idiots, Sayo, and Final Showdown!**


	11. Sayo, Idiots, and Final Showdown!

"Sayo is working independently on the case so titled 'M.'," Rena explained. "She probably already knows that I'm onto her, but as long as she doesn't know about my friends, she won't try to run. She checks in with the Kyoto Research Society frequently because she has a team of specialized medical professionals preparing treatments. Not only do we have to get her out of this school, we have to kill her."

"Rena," Yuuji politely interrupted. "I understand that your prone to violence and mental insecurity, but is killing her really necessary?"

"Apparently, you don't know how apathetic secret societies work," she sighed. "Sayo is the only one who cares about this case; the rest are just helping her until she succeeds and has to share her profit, or she fails and she has to die so as not to cause trouble for them. If we get her out of here, there's always a chance she'll come back or she'll die anyway."

"It's kind of like the trouble we had with Nemoto," Akihisa said. "We did something to make him look bad and whenever we avoided his revenge, he would always come back ten times worse."  
"Then I guess we do have to kill her," Yuuji said. "Alright, we need to do it where no one will see us; I assume that would cause problems. We also need weapons. Rena, where did you get that machete?"

"The junkyard is the answer to everything," Rena replied. "There are several things we can use to defend ourselves. It's also located in the middle of the forest in the suburbs, so no one will be able to hear her scream."

"Let's try to do this as quickly as possible, Rena," Shouko said.

Sayo, Idiots, and Final Showdown!

They had found a hollowed out van in the junkyard as their headquarters for operation. They each had a weapon of choice, much resembling the weapons of their Avatars. After certain plans were established, they all went home before dark. Hideyoshi and Rena were walking together, arm in arm.

"I knew you'd forget about my disease," Rena said. "But I never thought you'd accept the fact that I killed Nemoto, let alone help me kill Sayo."

"Friendship is a funny thing in that sense," Hideyoshi agreed. "We're always there for each other. You don't have to worry about doing these things alone anymore, Rena. If ever you find yourself in a bad situation, just tell us."

"That's not really what I'm worried about anymore," Rena said. Hideyoshi looked at her inquisitively. "M. is contagious by specimen contact. She has a sample of my blood, and not to test with. Trust me, if she gets a hold of any of you, she will try to hurt you as a way to blackmail me."

Hideyoshi stopped walking, discomforted by the thought of greasy, twitching bugs crawling in his veins and under his skin as an itch that can't be cured. He began absent-mindedly scratching at his neck. Rena saw this and panicked, lunging at him and pinning him to the ground.

"Stop that!" she screamed, tears welling up in her eyes. "You can never become like me, do you understand?!"

"Rena," Hideyoshi whispered. "It's okay, I won't, I promise. I'm sorry that I scared you," he put his hand up to catch the tears falling down her cheeks. Rena got off of him and lifted him to his feet.

"Come on, let's go," she said.

Since he had walked Rena home, Hideyoshi was a little later than he thought he would be getting home. When he got there, Yuuko was waiting for him.

"Where have you been?" she demanded. "I've been worried about you!"

"Out with Rena," he replied nervously.

"Why were you out so late? You could have at least called," Yuuko sighed, turning away from her brother.

"I'm sorry, I didn't know you'd be so concerned about me being out so late. Anyway, I'm going to bed. I have a test tomorrow."

"Wait, Hideyoshi," Yuuko whispered. Hideyoshi paused on the second step, glancing back at his serious sibling. "Don't… don't do anything stupid, okay?"

Hideyoshi felt a twinge of concern, maybe she had figured it out, but he nodded and went up the stairs.

It was almost noon the next day when the idiots' plan went into action. Rena began to scratch at the bandages around her neck, coughing up red liquid. The class looked at her delicately shaking form as she collapsed. Hideyoshi was the first to dive forward to catch her before she hit the hard floor.

"Rena," he said. "Hey, wake up."

"Is she okay?" Yuuji asked. Hideyoshi shook his head.

"I'll take her to the nurse's office," Hideyoshi said, easily lifting Rena in his arms.

"Wait, no, not…" Rena whispered weakly.

"Stop that," Hideyoshi spoke gently to her. "You're going to be fine."

Rena assumed an unconscious-like state and Hideyoshi hurried out into the hallway. When he reached Sayo's office, he set Rena down on the bed.

"She was clawing at her neck right before she collapsed in class," he informed the surprised nurse. Sayo nodded and reached into her bag for a thermometer.

"Thank you, Hideyoshi," Sayo said. "You can go back to class now."

Hideyoshi nodded and turned to leave. He paused by the door, to Sayo's obliviousness, but continued back to Class F. he nodded to the others, who joined him in the hallway.

"Okay," Yuuji said. "Let's head out to the base where we've stashed all our weapons. Rena will find a way to guide Sayo there. I'll get Shouko there and make sure everything's going according to plan."

"Right," the others said as they dispersed. Yuuji weaved through the hallways and buildings toward Class A. Shouko was already waiting in the hallway for him.

"Yuuko, will you take over for me? I have somewhere that I have to be," she was telling Hideyoshi's twin sister.

"You got it, rep," Yuuko nodded, walking back into class. Shouko turned to Yuuji and walked calmly towards him.

"Everything ready?" she whispered to him.

"Yeah, Rena should have Sayo out of the building by now, but I want to check."

Shouko nodded and the pair made their way to the hallway facing the nurse's office next to the main office. With a loud crashing noise within, Rena bolted out the door and down the hallway, with Sayo following.

"Wait! Hey, someone stop her!" the woman cried frantically as she ran after her.

"Looks like it's going well," Shouko commented.

"Let's go," Yuuji said.

They were all waiting at the heart of the junkyard, staring expectantly at the surrounding forest. They had their chainsaws and rusted kitchen utensils poised for battle. They turned their heads when they heard rustling in a nearby trash heap. Rena stumbled towards them, scrapes decorating her otherwise flawless figure.

"I think I lost her," she said, disappointed. "But she has a team of skilled officials with her."

"Great job, Rena," Yuuji said. "We're ready."

"Here," Hideyoshi said, handing Rena her machete. "I think you'll need this."

"If you get past the overwhelming guilt, this should be easy," Rena told them, taking the machete and posing it by her side.

"Thanks for that boost of confidence," Akihisa said, not one bit sarcastic. "I feel so much better."

"I think she was trying to warn us of the overwhelming guilt," Hideyoshi corrected.

"We need to split up in groups of two or more. How many of them are there, Rena?"

"More than we can handle," Rena replied. "So… I invited reinforcements."

"You what?!"

"Are we there yet?" Kubo asked Aiko and Yuuko as they, Miharu, and the members of the Inquisition joined the group in the clearing. There was a moment of silence.

.

.

.

"Hi, honey!" Miharu cried, running towards Minami.

"Miharu, what the crap are you doing here?!"

"So, Hideyoshi, not only are you dating a diseased psychopath, but you're also avenging her miserable past without telling me?" Yuuko demanded sweetly, balling her hand up in a fist.

"Uh, sis, calm down; I can explain it all, I swear!"

"Well, Akihisa," Kubo sighed. "If we die, we'll be together."

"Hey, Kouta," Aiko sang, winking. "Sorry that I'm not dressed for battle; I didn't have much time to change out of this skimpy outfit." Kouta held his breath, trying not to get excited.

"Why the heck did you invite them?!" Yuuji demanded.

"Well, the Inquisition and Kubo could have been enough," Rena thought out loud. "But Yuuko wouldn't let her brother do this alone and Miharu wanted to come too."

"What about Aiko?"

"Her flashing skills can prove useful, if it comes to it," Rena said. Yuuji sighed.

"Do they even know how to fight?"

"Hell, yeah," Yuuko replied, retrieving an old archery set from the rubble.

"Where should we go?" Aiko asked, assuming a more serious vibe as she held up an axe.

"As I was saying, we'll go in groups of two or more. We need to spread out over the expanse of the western half. Sayo's got a bunch of armed troops out here looking for Rena; it appears they're pretty desperate to get her. Shouko and I will go through the middle; that's probably where Sayo will be leading or giving orders from. Akihisa, Mizuki, and Kubo will go to the far side, making a clean line for the battle, followed by Minami and Miharu; Kouta and Aiko will take the other side, whilst the Inquisition scatters in between. Does everyone understand?"

"What about us?" Hideyoshi asked. "Rena has her scores to settle with Sayo."

"Right," Yuuji nodded in acknowledgement. "You, your sister, and Rena will come after us. I want to make sure you get to Sayo without any trouble."

"Very chivalrous, Yuuji," Shouko praised.

"What are we all fighting for?" Yuuji asked.

"Rena!" they all cried. Yuuji was surprised by the sudden supportive response, but continued with his motivational speech.

"If Rena gets taken away from us, what do we lose?"

"An ally! A friend!"

"We can't let this happen to her, because if it happens to her, it happens to all of us! This is was Fumizuki Academy stands for, teamwork and leadership! Only this time, it's not about grades and equipment; this time, we fight together for something greater. We fight as one." Now everyone was pumped. "Move out!"

The teams dispersed according to his orders.

"Be careful, Herons," Sayo warned over a radio. "She has a couple of bratty friends. Shouldn't be too difficult."

A handful of armed people, the group labeled 'Heron', made there way across the forest, looking for traps and any sign of life. They were oblivious to Minami and Miharu in the bushes, preparing their katana-like weapons for battle. Minami nodded and the two moved lightning-quick throughout the small group of people, disarming them and temporarily decapitating them by misplacing a few vertebrae.

"If you ever see Sayo again," Minami snarled at the last survivor. "Tell her good luck. She'll need it after this day."

"Robins and Sparrows, the Herons are down on the south side; go assist them."

Before the other two groups could make it over to the far south side of the woods, they were attacked. Akihisa, Kubo, and Himeji waited in the bushes momentarily. Akihisa lowered his glanced at Himeji.

"Are you scared?" he asked. "You know what you're about to do."

"No," she replied firmly, jumping out of the bushes. Kubo and Akihisa followed hastily, pacing the rough ground in a showy, ninja-like way as they mildly defeated the groups. The troopers weren't pathetic; they opened fire and tried to hit the minors, but they just missed. The teens took them out quietly by knocking them out or breaking their legs.

"Tell your boss," Akihisa growled at the leader of the large group. "Not to mess with Rena or her friends."

"Those brats are putting up a fight," Sayo muttered. "All units band together!"

"You'd think she wouldn't yell that so loudly that the entire forest can hear," Kouta muttered as he played with the make-shift satellite wiretap that he'd used to listen in to Sayo's orders. "They have a radio system."

Aiko nodded and raised her battle axe over her shoulder like a schoolbag as she hoisted herself up into a tree. Kouta ducked in between two bushes; he would attack at random after Aiko made her first move, just to confuse them. From overhead, Aiko leapt down to the forest ground, swinging her axe brutally, knocking several people out at once.

"They are no match for us," Kouta said as he emerged from the bushes, flashing pictures to disorient the others.

Baka and Test

"I honestly didn't think it would be this easy," Yuuko noted.

"They may be armed, but I think our style is a bit too unpredictable for them," Hideyoshi agreed. "I'm surprised you're taking this so well; shouldn't you be angrier at me or something for not telling you?"

"As a matter of fact, yes," Yuuko growled. She punched him in the ribs and he collapsed to his knees. "How could you not tell me any of this?! I told you not to do anything stupid! And now you've picked a fight with the wrong people, Hideyoshi!"

"I didn't want you to get hurt," he replied. Yuuko was surprised, she took a step back. She looked away and began walking again.

"Come on, we have a lot of ground to cover before we reach Sayo."

"All the troops have retreated," Sayo swore. "And they've left me here with nothing. I can't believe how they were using me! Forget it; I still have a gun. I'll take her down."

"Have you seen any?" Yuuji asked the others as they regrouped at the front of the forest.

"All clear," Kouta confirmed.

"They ran off," Minami added.

"Sayo?"

"I bet they left her by now," Hideyoshi replied. "All this for nothing."

"She's coming," Rena cautioned. "The least we can do is wait for her."

"You said they leave her with a single shot, right?" Yuuji asked.

"Yes—originally for her, but in the end meant for me."

"Don't worry, we won't let her hurt you," Akihisa said.

"Yeah," Shouko agreed, stepping in front of Rena. "You have nothing to fear."

"I never thought I'd have an entire clan protecting one little kitty," Rena thought quietly.

"You kids," Sayo growled, staggering out of the bushes. "You kids sure messed it up for me. I thought I'd lost."

"You have," Akihisa barked. "Now go on home. Get out of here."

"I still have one card up my sleeve," Sayo laughed, raising the gun. The students looked un-staggered.

"What are you going to do with one bullet?" Yuuji demanded. "Even if you don't miss, you'll end up killing all you've ever worked for."

"YOU SHUT UP!" Sayo shouted. "You have no idea what I've worked for! You don't know all the pain I've suffered because of this case. Now you have all ruined it for me. I will kill her and then I will kill myself. Then, you lot might possibly be able to fathom the pain I have gone through."

"Well, then?" Yuuji asked his group. "Who's going to step in front of her?"

Quickly, Hideyoshi stepped in front of his best friend. His sister surprised him by joining his side immediately. Akihisa, Himeji, and Minami stood by them next, followed by their almost-lovers Miharu and Kubo. Kouta, Aiko, the Inquisition Group. Yuuji grinned.

"I knew it," he said, taking Shouko's hand and standing in front of the group. "You won't win this time, Sayo. Part of fighting in a war is accepting defeat. Try as hard as you can, and fail. You can't stand as a single warrior against a closely-knit army like ours."

"Listen to you," Sayo chuckled. "The arrogance of the young. Rena is more mature than that. Rena, sweetie? Come forward and meet your dear physician."

Rena gently pushed her way through the shield of friends. Hideyoshi followed her as moral support. Overhead, grey clouds began to gather. With a mighty rumble, small droplets began falling onto the scene. It created a nostalgic and dramatic display.

"Why?" she whispered. "Why, Sayo?"

"You know why," Sayo lowered her voice to match Rena's. "I just wanted to be told that it's okay to fail, like your friends have taught you. Without that, I strove for the perfection I so dearly craved. You were my ticket to the promise land. You had so much potential, too. If only you hadn't of run away, think about it. You would have gotten your greatest desire… someone who understands you."

Rena gasped.

"But instead, you ran off to this school full of idiots. How can they accept you? How can they protect you? IT'S NOT FAIR! You're a sick, sadistic FREAK! Why do they accept you, but no one ever accepted me? Why don't they LOVE ME?!"

"These idiots are my friends," Rena said after a pause. "They are the best people I know. They know that understanding each other goes beyond genetic codes; it applies to your strengths and weaknesses, and your deepest characteristic. Kouta Tsuchiya, with his perversion and picture-taking, Akihisa Yoshi, and his stupidity, Yuuji with his leadership… They're all different, but it's okay. It's okay to fail."

"Well, it seems like we're at a draw," Sayo said, pulling a syringe out of her coat pocket.

"No!"

It was too late; Sayo had already injected the specimen of M. blood into her neck. She began to scratch frantically at the wound. She raised the gun again.

"With my heightened senses, I can engage the perfect aim to hit your boyfriend," she laughed manically. "So what's it going to be, Rena? You or him?"

"Leave Rena alone," Hideyoshi spoke up, standing in front of the cat-girl. "Just end it all already."

"Wait, Hideyoshi," Rena said.

"Take care of these idiots for me, Rena," Hideyoshi said.

"Hideyoshi! No, I can't let you do this!" Yuuko cried, trying to break away from Yuuji's strong grip.

"Don't try to stop me, Yuuko!" Hideyoshi shouted. "I want you to take care of Rena, do you understand me? Keep her safe no matter what."

Yuuko nodded and stepped forward calmly to take Rena's hand. Everyone moved in a sort of semi-circle around Hideyoshi, respecting him for his shameless bravery.

"Now," Hideyoshi sighed, turning to Sayo and spreading his arms out. "Shoot, Sayo!"

With an ear-splitting bang, the gun fired. Birds scattered from the trees noisily, surprised by the sudden shooting. The rain seemed to come down even harder. Sayo gasped in utter shock as all her hopes and dreams shattered and sank in the mud beneath her feet. She fell to her knees, tears streaming down her face.

"She fired a blank?" Hideyoshi wondered, staring at her. Everyone sighed and expressed victory, either by cheering or high-fiving their neighbor. Yuuko embraced Hideyoshi, overcome with gratitude to Fate.

"I'm fine, sis, really," he assured her. Rena kissed his cheek, pausing to whisper in his ear.

"Don't look."

"Any last words, Sayo?" Rena asked as she made her way over to the pitiful, diseased human being.

"Wh… wh… Why?" she whispered.

Rena raised her prized machete over her head violently, bringing the blade down into Sayo's skull.

"Rena? You home?" Hideyoshi asked, opening the door to her apartment. He was followed by Kouta, Minami, and Akihisa. The others were waiting outside. Rena was lying across the couch, facing away from them. Under her short skirt, a reel of gauze was wrapped around a scratch on her thigh. She turned her head in a cute, oblivious way. Past the doorway, Kouta got an intense nosebleed.

"Kouta, please try not to bleed all over my house, okay?"

"So, the others and I are going out to the amusement park, you want to come?" Hideyoshi asked Rena."

"Of course, I wouldn't miss it for the world."

"It's going to be really fun," Akihisa agreed. "Have you ever been to an amusement park before?"

"Aki! Don't treat her like an idiot!" Minami scolded, pulling his head backwards.

"Minami, my spine's not supposed to bend that way!"

They all filed out of the house and joined the others on the sidewalk. Yuuji, Shouko, Himeji, and the other four all moved as a unit down the sidewalk.

"So, Rena?" Hideyoshi asked conversationally. "What was that book you were reading when we came in?"

"It's a series that I got into before I went to Kyoto. It's kind of violent, so they didn't let me read it, but now that the threats are eliminated I guess I'd give it another shot. It's called Higurashi no Naku Koro ni; I'm currently on Kai. These friends were just in the middle of defeating a bunch of troops out in the woods who were dispatched by Miyo Takano, who wanted Rika because she was the Queen Carrier of a special disease."

"That sounds pretty similar to what happened to us the other day," Yuuji said, laughing.

"Yeah, no kidding," Akihisa agreed, laughing.

"How do you think it will turn out?" Shouko asked.

"I already know," Rena said. The others looked at her curiously. "Her friends will all stand beside her, and Takano will be vanquished. They will all fight because this is the most happiness that they have ever known."

"The irony of simple fiction," Hideyoshi sighed, smiling.

"Wouldn't it be crazy if something like that actually happened?" Akihisa asked, laughing.

"Idiot," the others chanted.

** Juusei no you n L**

** Th sound is like a gunshot (Higurashi Chikai main theme)**

** I can't believe it's over. I'm sorry I haven't uploaded in a while; I totally lost my sense of idea and I became really stuck. I'm leaving on Thursday for two weeks, so I had to get this finished before then. I hope you all like hoe it turned out, I know I do :D. Please look at my other fanfictions (right now, I've only got Fruits Baskets Vector Wolf thing up, but I'll try to keep myself fresh with the ideas.) **

** I'm actually thinking about a Hikaru and Kauro x OC story for Ouran High, what do you think? I'm getting really independent and crazy with fanfiction, so I'm thinking there could be a Forest Spirit of the Wolf reincarnated into a girl and they can take her in or something… stupid, right?**

**Stay Classy,**

**Stay Fresh,**

**Stay Stupid,**

**And Find Happiness **

**Around the Friends You Love**

**~Nanodesu!~**

**~Nipah!~**

**-Wolf no Naku Koro ni**


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